The following article is written by Stephen Moore for the Tottenham & Wood Green Journal that features David. The article was originally published on November 1st 2011 [link].
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Police have admitted they were not prepared for the “unprecedented” speed and scale of the rioting, looting and disorder in August that spread from Tottenham across the capital, fuelled by social media networks.
Traditional riot plans were “fully” executed but the force “did not have enough officers available on the first night” of unrest in Tottenham, says an initial report by the Metropolitan Police. Back-up officers “did not arrive quickly enough” either.
The force is looking at using water cannon in future, and boosting intelligence resources to more quickly sift through mountains of information on social media.
The initial report’s findings were welcomed by Tottenham MP David Lammy, who said: “It is right that the police have recognised that they didn’t have enough officers on Tottenham High Road on the night of the riot.
“It was obvious that they were not equipped to deal with violence on the scale that we saw in August.
“That let down Tottenham residents and business owners, but it also let down the brave officers who were expected to deal with a riot without proper back-up.”
Asked if using water cannon would have helped deal with the rioting, he said policing tactics “are best left to the experts,” but added: “I just want residents to know that, when a group of men is threatening to burn down their home or business, the police will respond quickly and decisively. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen in August.”
Mr Lammy also called on police to look at how to “better stop the widespread looting” that took place in Tottenham, saying he was “deeply concerned that some looters were able to get away with their crimes under the noses of the police”.
The Met’s report said no senior officers had ordered police to stand by while looting took place, saying 450 looters were arrested over the first three nights.
Success was hailed in some areas, including communications with officers drafted in from elsewhere, and the courts extending opening hours.
Changes already mooted include making more public disorder-trained officers available quickly, boosting speedy support from intelligence and investigation units, using Special Constables, and a review of systems for “co-ordinating, assessing and prioritising social media content for intelligence purposes”.
The Met’s Assistant Commissioner Lynne Owens said the force was “committed to being as open as possible so that we, our partners and the public can properly understand what worked, what didn’t and what we need to do differently”.
An interim report is due from police in mid-November, and a full report by the end of the year.
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