How did the Metropolitan police lose control of the capital?

See video from our friends at London Reigns Video.

Below is a current Guardian UK story on the recent riots and looting in London, which were sparked by the shooting by police of Mark Duggan, but have clearly tapped into a deeper rage. It caught my attention when I realized that the violence was concentrated in an area of northern London very close to Palmers Green, which is where I lived for several months in the mid-90s; at that time, a nice little neighborhood. Additional rioting occurred in Brixton, which is in southern London.

London burning. The normally polite city of London has been a bed of coals -- and often flames -- this year. In the past few days outrage has been let loose again. Video image from LDN-RGN via You Tube.

The conclusion of the article speaks directly to Len’s caution in his post today: what we do not give our attention to may cause us to pay attention down the road. Says Dr Michael Rosie, a senior lecturer in sociology at the University of Edinburgh: “A key lesson to be learned, as in all such instances, is that communication is fundamental. Police seemed taken by surprise by the rapid escalation in Tottenham – that suggests that they need to be more proactive in talking to, liaising with, the community.” Notably, the people of England are already pretty angry with the police and government from various corruption scandals in recent months, and trust is near an all-time low; though from what I have read, lack of jobs is a big source of frustration. — amanda

By Paul Lewis and Ben Quinn for The Guardian UK

The Metropolitan police’s embattled public order unit, CO11, once prided itself on being the world leader in containing disorder. At 3am yesterday, its exhausted officers slept in police vans lined up in Enfield town centre, bruised, exhausted and, for the second night running, entirely out-manoeuvred.

For hours they had been chasing groups of youths around Enfield, Ponders End and Edmonton, in north London, using dogs and batons to disperse anyone seen looting shops.

Any doubt that police were unable to control the violence was dispelled hours later, around 5pm yesterday, amid further outbreaks of looting in Hackney and other areas of the capital in broad daylight.

The home secretary, Theresa May, who flew home from holiday to deal with the fallout from the riots, will have asked commanders of the UK’s largest police force: how did you lose control of London?

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8 thoughts on “How did the Metropolitan police lose control of the capital?”

  6. thank you, Len, though i think the bulk of the credit goes to the Guardian reporters who included the quote i put in my intro. i merely saw the piece in google and noted things that stood out to me.

    but yes, as i read it, the resonance with your article/current astrology was clear. i can’t say that i knew that greater area well — just my little neighborhood, and i spent a lot of time in central london — and i have no idea how dramatically it may have changed in the 15 years since. but yes, it is all worth noticing.

  7. Amanda,
    Thank you for helping us to understand the gravity of what is going on in London. A far better job than most of the media and the United States. Your experience of having lived there gives you the perspective to recognize (and help the rest of us realize) what many of us could easily overlook, that this is a serious and disturbing development.

  8. Every young man I know thirsts for his “moment”. Would that there were a productive moment opened for these.

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