It has been scary watching the riots in the last week. Those involved acted in a completely irresponsible and unacceptable way and should be punished. Thieir combined actions resulted in several deaths and millions of pounds worth of property damage, including major arson that could have resulted in many more deaths.
But I have found it equally frightening watching the reaction of the media, politicians and courts: those supposed to be leaders of society. Their actions have displayed gross MisLeadership in all its guises.
Our next few blogs respond to the riots and their aftermath. This one looks at the role and actions of the police and those claiming to lead them.
Very fast criticism was made of the way the police handled the riots including the Home Secretary Theresa May saying they were too slow to act and not robust enough in their actions. She then attempted to give the impression that their subsequent change of approach was due to her intervention, including ordering them to cancel all police leave - a power which she does not and should not posess. The truth is the police were, like everyone else including the government, taken by surprise at the speed and severity of the riots, and were initially vastly outnumbered and under-equipped. They reacted extremely professionally and bravely.
Had they attempted to make arrests on the first night most of their limited numbers would have been involved, so the situation on the streets made far worse. Instead they coralled the rioters, protected lives as their main priority, then property where possible. Instead of futilely attempting to make arrests on the spot, they photographed those involved so that they could arrest them once the immediate threat had been dealt with. By the second night, police chiefs had been able to increase numbers on the street so could take more immediate actions, which they did so effectively that the rioting rapidly ceased.
Rather than criticising their actions and falsely attempting to claim credit for their change of tactic, the Home Secretary should have praised them for their ability to handle the situation with so little loss of life, relatively little damage, and ultimate ability to identify and bring to justice those involved. We should recall that the police have faced recent criticism for being too heavy-handed when dealing with rioters, yet suddenly their actions here were being lambasted as ineffective by the very politicians who should be supporting them. Further, the government had made clear their intention to reduce police budgets.
David Cameron the Prime Minister made matters even worse by announcing he would be seeking advice from William Bratton, the man credited with reducing street crime in New York, Los Angeles and Boston. Surely the most superficial analysis would make one expect that our police have little to learn from those policing such crime-ridden parts of the US but the crucial point here is the display of total lack of faith in and support for our own police despite their evdent top quality performance in handling the riots. How can he think that such a move can help relations between the government and police force?
The police continue to act professionally themselves and protect us from riots and other unruly behaviour which results in part from the government's failure to lead society effectively.
In the words of Gilbert abd Sullivan "A Policeman's Lot is Not a Nappy One". But it would be helped by proper leadership and support from the Home Secretary and Prime Minister.
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