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

Home Affairs Committee: Evidence Ev w75
ever more resilient to change. To change them you have to engender a cultural shift that involves and includes
the whole community.
50. This cultural shift works both ways: grass roots communities will have to accept that the situation that
we find ourselves in today is as much about how we responded to the racism that we faced as it is about the
racism our young still face. It is now undeniable that some of us took a path that has directly contributed to
the situation that we face today.
51. It follows, then, that in accepting that we have to shoulder some of the blame, we also have to accept
that we have a responsibility to be a part of the solution. In fact it’s even deeper than that, it actually means
that there can be no solution without our full involvement.
52. For those that make policy and pass laws achieving the cultural shift will require that you will have to
recognise that you will also need to learn some new tricks. The first thing you will need to learn is that you
have a lot to learn.
53. We are all learning, and what we gain from this experience can be used to help other communities to
integrate without having to go through the same disruptive cycle that my community has had to.
54. To enable this to happen we need to have a wider debate than that which is currently taking place.
Critically, those that are involved as community representatives and leaders must be there with the consent of
their communities.
55. They cannot be self selected or appointed by those in authority. My old friend and mentor Bernie Grant
used to say that “White leaders were following a corrupt practice by hand picking black community
representatives, which meant that they were not listening to the authentic voices of the community and as a
consequence they have no idea of the true level of dissatisfaction, cynicism and disaffection that is simmering
within black communities up and down the country”.
56. I hope that you will not think that what I have written is self gratuitous, it is not it is written in the hope
that we can begin a new dialogue, one that is built on honesty and a willingness to learn.
57. If invited to give evidence I can, as a result of my past and my present, not only tell you why and how
the riots on 7 August happened. But, I can also tell you how to bring hope and the notion of personal
responsibility back to these most marginalised of communities.
September 2011
1. Was it a Riot?
Written evidence submitted by the British Insurance Brokers’ Association (BIBA)
1.1 BIBA noted that the Government did not use the term “riot” in any public conversation. We would be
interested to know whether this was because of the potential financial implications for the Police in
compensating victims under the terms of the Act. Instead of “riot”, the Government used various other terms
such as “criminality” or “disorder”. This lead to frustration from the insurance industry and was surely
unhelpful to many “uninsured” people in need of central guidance about how to claim within the rapidly
decreasing 14 day deadline under the Act. When BIBA queried this with Government officials it was clear to
us that at that point the Police had limited resources and were not in any way prepared to respond to the
number of potential riot claims that were occurring.
2. Application of the Act
2.1 BIBA’s main area of concern was the confusion generated by the application of the Act. In the first
instance, the statutory claim form was not available on Government websites and when BIBA finally obtained
the form itself it was so outdated it contained columns for pounds, shillings and pence.
2.2 BIBA co-operated with Government in the design of the new form. We were happy that this new form
was created, but the timescale was a major concern because of the pressing nature (at that time) of the 14 days
deadline within the Act.
2.3 There were insufficient guidelines about what could be claimed for. BIBA was able to interpret the Act
and give guidance to our members and to media but the initial lack of a central government source of
information was a problem for small retailers and others who had suffered damage and were uninsured to some
degree in the media. This lack of information coming from Government was particularly worrying as this was
a news story that was the main headline for some considerable period and involved the recall of Parliament.
2.4 In our view, there is a need for greater Government clarity and advice for consumers and businesses,
specifically via Business Link and the Money Advice Service, on the value and benefits of insurance and what
is and is not covered under the Riot (Damages) Act (eg business interruption, liability and motor vehicles
parked on the road are not covered). BIBA would be keen to work with Government to develop these
important areas.