Local top cop says UK riots ‘frightening’

| 10/08/2011

(CNS): Despite experiencing various riots and major civil disturbances during hiscareer as a UK police officer, Chief Superintendent John Jones said the riots in England this week were “quite frightening". A Birmingham native, Jones said he was concerned to see that his home town had suffered as a result of the violence raging across the country, including the torching of the police station. Jones echoed comments coming from the authorities in the UK that the violence was down to criminality and that while the initial demonstration may have been a legitimate protest over shooting of a suspect by police, since then the violence had degenerated in to nothing more than opportunistic looting and gratuitous violence.

Jones said that the UK was no stranger to civil unrest on the streets but the scale of the current violence was unnerving. “It says a lot when officers from Scotland Yard are describing this as the worst in living memory. That’s quite frightening.”

Hundreds more arrests were made on Tuesday night in the UK after another shocking night of violence. Speaking outside 10 Downing Street on Wednesday morning, British Prime Minister David Cameron said the “fight-back” was underway and that every action would be taken to restore order, with contingency plans for water cannon to be available at 24 hours' notice.

On Tuesday night unrest spread to other cities, including Manchester, Salford, Liverpool, Nottingham and Birmingham, with shops being looted and set alight. Three men died when they were hit by a car in Birmingham.

Following a meeting of the government's Cobra emergency committee, Cameron said police had the legal backing to use any tactics necessary to bring the situation under control, including using baton rounds.

"This continued violence is simply not acceptable and it will be stopped. We will not put up with this in our country. We will not allow a culture of fear to exist on our streets,” Cameron stated.

The police have also created a website to advice people on what to do in the face of the street violence and are also posting CCTV footing of the young criminals involved in the gang violence and shooting. The Sun newspaper invited the British public to “shop a moron” by posting pictures of youngsters committing crime and asking people to tell the police who they are. 

The violence started on Saturday in London after a peaceful protest in Tottenham over the fatal shooting of Mark Duggan, 29, by police.

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  1. Anonymous says:

    Well, I am anticipating many "thumps down" for this, but I have to get it off my chest.

    I had to listen to so many Brits over the last 12 years going on and on about how much better the UK is then the rest of the world. In general, they tend to be in complete denial over the state their country is in. They are the first ones to point out how great the UK is and so much better than XYZ despite the fact that they have their own behinds here and not back in the "great UK".

    So let's learn a lesson that every country has its ups and downs and good sides as well as bad sides, and just remember that those "expats" who have seemingly done the looting are now British Citizens……..

  2. Anonymous says:

    Funny enough the royal wedding had 5000 police in action and these riots around 1200. I am sure it could have been stomped very easily. 

    • Posted from the UK says:

      That's for sure.

      There are also some serious questions to be asked about some of the buildings that were torched – like, "How come a secure facility with 24/7 on-site security and a sprinkler system burned to the ground?"

      I'm not saying there weren't a lot of innocent victims in this but the UK government's recently announced blank cheque approach to compensation is exactly what some of less than innocent property owners and tenants were banking on.

      With the focus firmly on rounding up all the kids who took advantage of the situtation a lot of the real villains are going to be laughing all the way to the bank.

       

       

  3. Caymanian Boat Captain says:

    Something very similar can happen in Cayman as well. Jog your memory back to the Northward Riots in 1999 which was skillfully handled and brought under control by then Commissioner David Thursfield.

    I wonder what these "goons" that we have running the RCIPS would do today, should a major incident of "public disorder" take place in central George Town ??

       

    • Rorschach says:

      Skilfully handled and brought under control??  Are you mad??   That "incident" lasted almost TWO months and resulted in 24 PC's being flown over from the UK and paid for by the CI government…That "Riot" was in NO WAY, SHAPE, OR FORM handled correctly by ANY of the officers who were Large and in Charge…then Chief Superintendant Derek Haines reported to Northward Prison with his entire DTF contingent, fully armed with riot gear and weapons and prepared to take back that situation and he was ordered to "STAND DOWN"  by the ACTING CoP, Braggs, and return to Georgetown. Thursfield wasn't EVEN ON THE ISLAND!!   This is not heresay..this is not something I heard..this is something I WITNESSED FIRST HAND!!    The inmates were allowed to do whatever they pleased…the electricity was not cut off, the water was not cut off, food was allowed to be brought into the prison, the phones and lines of communications were not cut…it was a DISASTER!!  And remember this…they had NO HOSTAGES…ALL of the prison staff were able to evacuate BEFORE the inmates took full control…this is not a good comparison to the events which are taking place in the UK at the moment, as rioters in a city are completely different to an insurrection within a confined perimeter….but let's not go throwing accolades where they do not belong….

      • Caymanian Boat Captain says:

        You are correct in some of what you say but I'm submitting that it was in fact handled professionally by Thursfield, Braggs and Haines collectively. In the sense that no one was seriously injured overall, the incident did not spill over into the surrounding communities which could have easily taken place. Understandably, residents in the immediate area "were on edge" but it just didn't happen.

        As for the time it took to bring the incident to an end, (two months) what you fail to mention is that during this time, as should be expected, some re-construction took place which enhanced security overall which did not allow a repeat incident immediately thereafter.

        In the end, Thursfield had prisoners handing over their prison made weapons and shaking officers hand as they quietly returned back to their cells. That's leadeship in my book and I again say, I doubt these "goons" who now run the RCIPS could accomplish this or anything near it. 

        Hell, they can't even solve the last 3 – 4 Bank Robberies on island and it seems every person charged with murder is walking away from the courts free as a bird. Not to mention, the attempt murders involving firearms with individuals shot in their face, all over their body and the disappearance of women without an apparent trace.

        So, is this RCIPS leadership at it's BEST TODAY ??     

          

    • Anymous says:

      18:54  Please do not fan the fire.

      • Anonymous says:

        we could just fan ourselves as we relax on the beach… while our 'leaders' continue their lusty pillaging of our country!

  4. Anonymous says:

    Remember when a certain Top cop stood with a shot gun against the potential looters in Geroge Town just after Ivan??  and he is an Ex-pat don't forget

    • Anonymous says:

      Also don't forget that most of the looters and in the case that you speak about were expats.  In this instance that expat cop knew exactly what could and would happen.  Caymanian cops and people had never before experienced anything like that.  During hurricane Gilbert  when there were more native Caymanians there was law and order and no one took anything because back then we were predominately law abiding citizens.  This is not to say that Caymanians did not loot during Ivan because in all fairness they did but  not to the extent that expats did and I saw this with my own eyes.  I saw them run from many stores with bags of things and they even have the galls to carry the bags with the business names.  Here I was thinking those poor people have to run from the hurricane with their things in bags only to come upon them leaving the business places. 

  5. Anonymous says:

    This behaviour is not becoming anyone and our authorities and people should consider this and learn from it, please read the below article and don't be afraid to use the laws of the land not withstanding mass deportations if necessary.

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2023556/Mark-Duggan-Violence-drugs-fatal-stabbing-unlikely-martyr.html?ITO=1490

  6. Loren says:

    This is a very sad situation and to think all this is happening over someone who was a trouble maker.  I am not saying that he deserved to be shot but if you live by the sword best chance is that due to your behaviour you will most likely die by the sword.

  7. P.T says:

    I'm glad so we don't have such a degree of violence here over a shooting. Cayman is bless. 

  8. Anonymous says:

    I am begging you my fellow Caymanians and Politicians please look at the images from this website and do not allow this to happen here in our islands.  Please UDP and PPM come together to avert any such action this is building in our islands.  Please go to the hotspots and talk to our young people.  Give them hope and a reason for living, many of our young people are without jobs make UCCI free for all native Caymanians under a certain age. Open at trade school.  My heart is so very broken at this moment to think that this could happen here in our beautiful isles Cayman.  http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44072877/displaymode/1247?beginSlide=1

  9. anon says:

    well well well… look a hear, dem uk havin riots… and dem police havin vacation in cayman… dem betta cal dem back, nah true?

  10. Anonymous2 says:

    Finally, the UK needs to put their own House in order instead of chasing the Overseas Territories on corruption and crime matters they can't solve!

  11. Anonymous says:

    Sorry to say this is what the lack of employment does to people maybe the UK should try this http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34762339/ns/world_news-mideast_n_africa/t/shattered-dubai-dream-echoes-across-mideast/

  12. nauticalone says:

    And as the Govt. of Cayman continues to XXXX (wheather by giving away monies, with no transparent and ethical criteria, to churches and overbuying "Go-Fast" Police cars and boats and other questionable actions) while not spending enough on Education/Trade Schools and other means to improve social harmony (including a real respect for the long term good of our environment)….the Govt. is planting and nurturing the seeds for Cayman to also sow it's own unrest.

    When the Powers that be are seen to selfishly and unfairly take care of themselves at the expense of the many……unrest will eventually follow.

    Cayman nah immune from this any more than it is/was immune from gangs forming and crime increasing to levels once thought impossile!

  13. Knot S Smart says:

    That photo of the looter with the electronic equipment shocked me!

    You mean they are stealing in England these days too?

    Oh Dear…

  14. Posted from the UK says:

    Let's start off by clarifying the fact that this is looting not rioting and the main cause is that the police were slower to react to it than the media were to splash it all over the TV news channels.

    Most of what is going on is copycat theft. People see it on TV, they see the police standing round doing nothing and think, "to Hell with this I'm going to go get myself some of the action."

    Apart from the one shooting in Croydon, which was apparently gang related, you haven't had anything like the kind of violence that typified the poll tax riots or the recent disturbances in Northern Ireland. In fact I've seen worse disturbances after my home team, Millwall, played an away game.

    There are also some very disturbing stories circulating suggesting that a lot of the severe property damage (and many of the vehicles that were destroyed) has been opportunist and had nothing to do with the looting. In some areas (although the police and the media appear to be ignoring this) it is likely that gang turf wars have taken place under cover of the general mayhem.

    The bottom line is that if the police had hit the streets when this started with teargas and water cannon like they do in other European countries it would all have been over in minutes.

  15. Anonymous says:

    soon come!

  16. Anonymous says:

    This the type of behaviour that happens when young people are idle and unemployed.  This anarchy started as a result of a peaceful protest of a known drug dealer being shot by the police.  Whatever or however this might have happened because as we are all aware there are three sides to any story.  The victim was of questionable character and was under survelliance by the police.  This is why I don't agree with police having guns here.  What has happen in Tottenham is a shame and to see it being spread in other areas is mind boggling.  How can a civil society such as the UK fall victim to such lawlessness?  In my opinion the problem is the unemployment of young people and foreign cultures.  Cayman Islands take heed.