London Riots

[Malcador]

Actually, most of the people are know would appreciate the Olympics not being here.

 

A lot of people have the view that the government is wasting a crapload of cash on the Olympics when it could be better used for things like..oh.. health and education.

The Olympics is taking on the same sort of view as the Millenium Dome when it was being built.

It'll be nice and shiny but pretty much a money pit and waste.

 

Well by now, that's money already spent no ?

[Raithe]

Actually, most of the people are know would appreciate the Olympics not being here.

 

A lot of people have the view that the government is wasting a crapload of cash on the Olympics when it could be better used for things like..oh.. health and education.

The Olympics is taking on the same sort of view as the Millenium Dome when it was being built.

It'll be nice and shiny but pretty much a money pit and waste.

 

Well by now, that's money already spent no ?

 

There's still a fair chunk to be spent before the Olympics lands.. and more to be spent during the Olympics....

[kirottu]

I think this whole thing is one missed opportunity. I WANT TO SEE MONOCLE WEARING RIOTERS RIOTING WHILE DRINKING TEA!!1

[Malcador]

Actually, most of the people are know would appreciate the Olympics not being here.

 

A lot of people have the view that the government is wasting a crapload of cash on the Olympics when it could be better used for things like..oh.. health and education.

The Olympics is taking on the same sort of view as the Millenium Dome when it was being built.

It'll be nice and shiny but pretty much a money pit and waste.

 

Well by now, that's money already spent no ?

 

There's still a fair chunk to be spent before the Olympics lands.. and more to be spent during the Olympics....

 

Ahhh ok. Had thought the majority of it would have been sunk in by work done or contracts. Well, IOC says London is safe for the games (once they deploy all those guards and soldiers).

 

Reminds me, our city has a $700 million deficit and hosting the Pan-Am games in 4 years.

[Raithe]

I think this whole thing is one missed opportunity. I WANT TO SEE MONOCLE WEARING RIOTERS RIOTING WHILE DRINKING TEA!!1

 

Eh, not in those rioting cities you won't. If it was more Westminster instead of central London maybe.. but not a chance in Liverpool , Birmingham or Nottingham. Well, possibly Bristol - a lot of the lawyers old boys network get their Law degrees there.. but then monocle wearing types would probably get theirs from Oxford...

 

 

Edit: And Scotland Yard are saying that they will have over 13,000 police officers in London within the next 24 hours...

Edited August 9, 2011 by Raithe

[Nightshape]

If this keeps going another few days you can kiss your Olympic games 2012 bye bye.

 

I suppose then we'll see the real riots starting....

 

You really think that ?

 

Its Morgoth - he probably wants it.

[Walsingham]

Unfortunately, I could see this happening a lot more and in other countries.

 

This has less to do with the shooting and more to do with the lower classes becoming disatisfied with the situation they are in. When the gap gets so large and it starts to become impossible for the low income to survive or improve their lives, this happens. If they have no hope of a future, why should they care about it?

 

Of course there is a lot of criminals running about, but I highly doubt they all are.

 

Look, I'm not having a go, because there are professional commentators saying this. But it's total balls.

 

You get people rioting in other countries over jobs or no food or no petrol. These are 'youths' on the whole taking part in violence because it's free (if not actually lucrative) and exciting, and scores you credibility with your mates.

 

Most of these scallies have poor prospects in life because they've been engaged in an eucation/youth system which abandoned them by being soft on them, and letting them not study and providing no alternative to studying.

[Raithe]

Look, I'm not having a go, because there are professional commentators saying this. But it's total balls.

 

You get people rioting in other countries over jobs or no food or no petrol. These are 'youths' on the whole taking part in violence because it's free (if not actually lucrative) and exciting, and scores you credibility with your mates.

 

Most of these scallies have poor prospects in life because they've been engaged in an eucation/youth system which abandoned them by being soft on them, and letting them not study and providing no alternative to studying.

 

The London inner-city gang culture is quite.. well.. severe. It tends to get glossed over in the international news, but yeah, that's where a lot of the impetus in the riots is coming from.

 

Hell, it was only a couple of months ago we had the arrest of a 15 year old "hitman" who killed a woman for 200 quid and the "props" it would give him with his local gang.

[Bendu]

BBC live stream.

[Nepenthe]

Hm, I seem to recall stumbling on some news report yesterday that made mention that a lot of the "heavy riot gear" isn't actually kept in the UK, it's most in Ireland, so they'd have to take the time to ship some of it back to London before it would be available for use... Some of the big water cannon type stuff for dispersing rioters and the like...

:D

 

So, where were we. The usual problem of having too much time and not enough money. Been the same for millennia. Generally leads to a war someplace, where the excess testosterone of the underclass can be curbed. ;P

[Morgoth]

Edit: And Scotland Yard are saying that they will have over 13,000 police officers in London within the next 24 hours...

They should send in the Scottish Blackwatch to show dose lubbers how to make a real mess!

[Raithe]

For the random interest factor.. :

 

Riot is now defined by s.1 Public Order Act 1986, as follows:

 

(1) Where twelve or more persons who are present together use or threaten unlawful violence for a common purpose and the conduct of them (taken together) is such as would cause a person of reasonable firmness present at the scene to fear for his personal safety, each of the persons using unlawful violence for the common purpose is guilty of riot. (2) It is immaterial whether or not the twelve or more use or threaten unlawful violence simultaneously. (3) The common purpose may be inferred from conduct. (4) No person of reasonable firmness need actually be, or be likely to be, present at the scene. (5) Riot may be committed in private as well as in public places.

 

Thus a single person can be liable for an offense of riot when they use violence, provided that it is shown there were at least twelve present using or threatening unlawful violence. The violence can be against the person or against property.

 

If there are fewer than twelve people present, the lesser offense of "Violent Disorder" is charged, for which there is a requirement for at least three persons to use or threaten unlawful violence together, and no common purpose is required.

 

In the past, the Riot Act had to be read by an official - with the wording exactly correct - before violent policing action could take place. If the group did not disperse after the act was read, lethal force could legally be used against the crowd.

 

In recent times people have rarely been charged with a Section 1 offence (Riot) in England and Wales. This may be because the local police service are statutorily liable to pay compensation for losses and damage caused by riot. The best known example of this is the Poll tax demonstrations of 1990 where nobody was charged under Section 1. All were charged as though a collection of violent disorder offences had just happened to take place in one location.

 

Riot is an indictable offence under the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005, triable on indictment before a Crown court, and punishable by up to ten years imprisonment and/or a fine.

 

In the case of riot connected to football hooliganism, the offender may be banned from football grounds for a set or indeterminate period of time and may be required to surrender their passport to the police for a period of time in the event of a club or international match, or international tournament, connected with the offence. This prevents travelling to the match or tournament in question. (The measures were brought in by the Football (Disorder) Act 2000 after rioting of England fans at Euro 2000.)

[Hassat Hunter]

I think its not a question of kindness but fear of further escalation if some the rioters get killed.

Of course now the rioteers made the first victim in the conflict... 26-year old shot dead in his car by them.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=playe...p;v=XYuMPw6Yi3k

Yup, seems like youth gangs profiteering... just criminals indeed.

(some more vids; http://www.rtl.nl/%28/actueel/rtlnieuws/bu...n-in-londen.xml but the article is Dutch)

 

EDIT2:

BBC link; http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-14462693

Edited August 9, 2011 by Hassat Hunter

[Malcador]

Was funny to hear on that BBC feed "COBRA will be meeting today.."

[Junai]

[Malcador]

Oh nice they spoke to Farage of the UKIP, heh. Bring in the army "under police command".

[Raithe]

Londoners ready to clean up their streets...

[Morgoth]

Armed Forces to be brought in?

 

That sure must cause some Monocle being dropped here and there...

[Malcador]

Yeah, they definitely need to pull them back from Afghanistan for this. They put some soldiers on the street, then all some idiot needs to do is make a sound like a gunshot.

[Gorgon]

Not going to happen, but it's fun to say it might on TV.

[Tale]

Yeah, they definitely need to pull them back from Afghanistan for this. They put some soldiers on the street, then all some idiot needs to do is make a sound like a gunshot.

If you put soldiers on riot control, would you still issue them assault rifles? The problem there seems obvious enough to circumvent. Not that a bunch of soldiers with riot shields and billy clubs are going to be harmless, but it's not quite what I think you're implying.

[Nightshape]

Hey, I'm all for these F***S being shot down in the street.

[Malcador]

In that case, just get riot police who are trained and are accustomed to using that kind of gear and type of work. The motivation for calling for the military I sense from the ones I've heard calling for it is just to escalate the force or threat of force.

[Tale]

Does this happen in the UK often enough to have police who are accustomed?

[Raithe]

Well lets see.. combine troops fresh from Afghanistan, riots, bolshy teenage gangs who think they're tough, and the excess of partially-extremist moslems who agitate in London.. and all who like to play the race/religion card at the drop of a hat.. That would get very messy. Even beyond what we have at present.

 

 

And Tale : It's not been that long since the grand era of football hooliganism The coppers were all trained up for those sorts of rioting crowds.

Edited August 9, 2011 by Raithe