Policing Large Scale Disorder: Lessons from the disturbances of ...

Ev w34 Home Affairs Committee: Evidence
affected by disturbances in Eltham and 6.3% were affected by Blackheath. Although 21.9% were not affected
by the disturbances.
Initial and Subsequent Responses
The most common response of local organisations was one of concern; for their clients, their premises and
their own safety. People were shocked, saddened and disgusted by the ferocity of those causing the
disturbances. Many people were concerned about the ages of those involved and were disturbed by the number
of adults who took part. Key too many groups was that their users felt extremely frightened and subsequently
still feel afraid to venture out in their local areas. People were also concerned that the disturbances could lead
to other problems in the area particularly the fear that the English Defence League (EDL) presence in Eltham
would reopen racial tensions in the area. Another major concern of organisations was the fear that the police
would not be able to contain subsequent disturbances, no matter how large their presence. There was also a lot
of anger at those responsible for the damage and pain they caused businesses and organisations. Feedback
indicates that people believe those who cause the disturbances were motivated by greed and an opportunistic
desire to profit from the confusion. Many people believe that discussion is the key to understanding the
circumstances of the participants and their motivation and hopefully how to stop it happening again.
Several weeks after the disturbances initial feelings have not changed, people are still angry about the
damage done and the resulting impact of the disturbances on businesses. Even though some people feel a
degree of empathy toward some of those who were caught up in the moment, they still believe that what
happened was theft and vandalism and have not changed their initial feelings of anger and disappointment.
Role of Civil Society Organisations
Key Issues
Many organisations believe that there are a range of underlying issues that may have started and help
influence the spread of the disturbances:
Activities
— The most prominent issue stated by organisations is the social exclusion and alienation of young
people. They have become disenchanted and disillusioned with the lack of employment and
opportunities for advancement in life. They are disengaged from their communities and do not feel
valued within society.
— Another issue that was raised by organisations was the absence of parental control. Organisations
believe that parents have lost control of their children as they fear the consequences of disciplining
their children.
— Organisations believe that there should be more policing and better police interaction with young
people in the communities as a preventative measure.
— There also seems to be an overwhelming focus on material possessions that was demonstrated by
the theft of technological goods from stores and the organisation of the disturbances using social
media networks.
— Finally, on a smaller scale, organisations have noted that there has been an increase in racial tensions
on several different levels. They have noted that there are divided communities between different
ethnic groups that make social inclusion difficult. There was also the issue of racism with the Eltham
disturbance with the presence of the EDL igniting racial issues within the community.
65.5% of organisations said they had previously been undertaking activities which they feel could have
helped prevent violent incidents similar to those that had recently occurred. Activities included working with
other organisations and pooling resources, workshops and youth activities afterschool and during term holidays.
By engaging with and keeping young people occupied many organisations have said, with confidence, that
their members were not involved in the disturbances.
Although a lot of organisations are not doing any activities in direct response to the riots, many of them are
continuing their previous activities in the hope that they can prevent a repeat of the disturbances. Some have
also started to advise parents on dealing with the impact of the disturbances and encouraging them to contact
police for more information.
When asked what more could organisations be doing both individually and collectively, there were several
responses:
— The most prominent response was to promote inclusivity of young people in their communities, so
they do not feel as alienated or marginalised.
— They also believe thought that young people should be listened to and have forums in which to
express their views in a peaceful manner. The argument was made that young people are the adults
of tomorrow and they need to feel that their opinions are and will be valued in the future.