Policing and the riot lessons

It was a direct assault on all those shopkeepers whose stores were looted; those businesses that have been destroyed and those families who now find themselves homeless. As criminal thugs ran amok, they had no compunction for the financial damage that they were causing, the number of officers that they were injuring or how they were hijacking the justice campaign being waged by supporters of Mr Duggan.

These anarchists were intent on causing as much mayhem as possible, illustrated by how rival gangs, and other criminal elements, put their grievances aside to burn buses, torch buildings and injure the police. And, unlike the race riots of 25 years ago, it was striking that criminals of all ethnic backgrounds could be seen hurling missiles at the police.

Such total disregard for public safety and property must never be tolerated. But, as the police bring the perpetrators to justice, two inquiries must take place.

One needs to establish the precise circumstances surrounding Mr Duggan’s death – and the Independent Police Complaints Commission has already started this process. In doing so, it must recognise, however, that the lack of information supplied to relatives of Mr Duggan has exacerbated tensions.

The second investigation needs to establish how a supposedly peaceful vigil led to such large-scale violence, and whether the police response was appropriate or not.

The problem, however, is that many people in Tottenham are not prepared to wait for the IPCC to deliver its verdict – it was striking at how the community’s MP, David Lammy, was shouted down by cries of “the police want to see the place burn” as he appealed for calm and restraint.

Such hatred of authority simply leaves the police with a near impossible task – a job that is made even harder by the gang wars that are now endemic on the streets of London.

Tottenham has moved on since the Broadwater Farm riots which were triggered by the policing of ethnic communities – but it would be an even greater tragedy if the goodwill that has evolved since 1985 is allowed to be undermined by a tiny minority who are intent on wreaking havoc on our streets.