WTF is going on in the UK????

[romephius]

The answer is simple, all rioters should be classified as terrorists and treated as such.  Because in the end, that is exactly what they are doing, terrorising innocent residents, business owners and tourists.

But hey, that's just my opinion.

[Alianora La Canta]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2024485/UK-RIOTS-2011-Manchester-police-shown-YouTube-video-chasing-gang.html

If you scroll down to the bottom of the page you will see the video, this is how it should be handled, unfortunately the police involved will probably get prosecuted, I think they should receive a medal.

There have been other similar incidents (not ending in violence) where the police (and in one case the religious centre who lent them a car*) did some impressive chases and got complimented for them. There will probably be an investigation of the incident in the video, but this is one of the few occasions where a pat on the back rather than a slap in the face is likely to ensue for the officers responsible.

I don't think there'll be a medal, simply because there were so many acts of bravery in the last few days that there'll probably be blanket commendations for every front-line officer in the relevant police forces (with individual commendable acts being put on the permanent record rather than being made more public).

* - The car the police had arrived in had an unknown fate - the local news didn't make clear whether it had been damaged, was in an awkward position for attempting this particular chase or was in use by another squad for hauling rioters back to base.

[Alianora La Canta]

Very badly handled by the police, way to light handed IMO. The police in NI don't wait too long before the water cannon are out and the plastic bullets are being fired. I'm all for peaceful protest if a people are unhappy, but this was just mindless criminality, and these scum bags should be halted with force.

Probably because force used by the police was the spark that started the riots in the first place. An investigation is underway concerning whether the police were justified in their actions, but even if they were, it would only underline that the public mood in that area was unable to bear water cannons, plastic bullets or other such means of suppression. Even if most other areas were full of people screaming for such measures to be used.

[Dare]

Girl, 18, turned in for rioting by mom
NewsCore
 
 
 
 
 
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Updated Aug 11, 2011 9:48 PM ET
An ambassador for the London Olympics appeared in a British court Thursday accused of hurling bricks at a police car after she was reported to police by her own mother.


FANS GONE WILD
Some people just can't enjoy a game without getting involved. Here are a few such spectators.
Chelsea Ives, who has helped to promote the 2012 games, was arrested after her mother said she spotted her on television during a news bulletin.

The 18-year-old "talented sportswoman" was alleged to have been filmed by the BBC during violent disturbances in Enfield, north London, on Sunday.

Becky Owen, for the prosecution, told London's City of Westminster Magistrates' Court on Thursday that Ives led an attack on a cell phone store and "was first to pick up masonry and hurl it at the window."

Ives denied violent disorder, two counts of burglary and throwing bricks at a police car. She was remanded in custody.

Her mother, Adrienne, 47, later described how she "had to do what was right" after she said she saw footage of her daughter among the rioters.

She said, "We were watching people lose their homes and businesses. She won't thank us ... but what else were we supposed to do?"

Appearing in the same court Thursday was a ballerina who handed herself over to police after spotting herself in newspaper photographs issued by police of a mob that looted an electronics store.

The 17-year-old, who is too young to be named in reports, is alleged to have been caught on security cameras as a mob stole £190,000 ($298,000) of goods from an electronics store in Croydon, south London, on Monday.

The court was told that seeing her picture in the media had "been a wake-up call" for the girl. She had been learning ballet since the age of 7 and fears she will now lose her place at dance school. She was remanded in custody to appear before a youth court.

[Jericoke]

Appearing in the same court Thursday was a ballerina who handed herself over to police after spotting herself in newspaper photographs issued by police of a mob that looted an electronics store.

The 17-year-old, who is too young to be named in reports, is alleged to have been caught on security cameras as a mob stole £190,000 ($298,000) of goods from an electronics store in Croydon, south London, on Monday.

The court was told that seeing her picture in the media had "been a wake-up call" for the girl. She had been learning ballet since the age of 7 and fears she will now lose her place at dance school. She was remanded in custody to appear before a youth court.

So she regrets getting caught, not actually committing a crime?

Sounds like she's got a future in F1...

[Wizzo]

Source The BBC

£200m+, the cost of damage to business
1m+, signatures on a petition for rioters and looters to lose benefits
2000+ the number of arrests so far
55, the percentage of those appearing in court who are under 18

[cosworth151]

One of my favorite radio programs, Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me, explained it this week-end. They said it was the try-outs for Simon Cowell's new series, Britain's Got Hooligans.

[Dare]

Source The BBC

£200m+, the cost of damage to business
1m+, signatures on a petition for rioters and looters to lose benefits
2000+ the number of arrests so far
55, the percentage of those appearing in court who are under 18

I hope if convicted they lose their bebefits.There's always talk
here of drug testing welfare receivers and if they fail the test
to lose their benifits,good idea but nothing ever happens

[Ian]

The government is talking big now, but when it comes to the crunch they'll panty-hose out of it, they have'nt got the stomach for it. When it started they should have had the armed police out and stated....Looters WILL be shot, and then done it. It would have stopped very quickly indeed.

[Alianora La Canta]

Source The BBC

£200m+, the cost of damage to business
1m+, signatures on a petition for rioters and looters to lose benefits
2000+ the number of arrests so far
55, the percentage of those appearing in court who are under 18

I hope if convicted they lose their bebefits.There's always talk
here of drug testing welfare receivers and if they fail the test
to lose their benifits,good idea but nothing ever happens

Interesting to hear only 55 under-18s have gone to court, given that 756 people in total have already done so. It looks like for all the teenagers have been maligned, the majority of rioters are young adults - many with jobs, for that matter.

It's a neat theory, but most of the people who lose benefits (or homes, as some councils are already evicting people who merely show up in court over rioting let alone convictees), at least in the UK end up dependent on crime to continue to live. So it's just turning an acute problem into a chronic one... ...that given the right spark will become an acute one again. I would only support losing benefits and housing for people that are given jail sentences (and therefore don't need them due to the prison service catering to them). They'll need them back after serving sentence, unless they're to be relocated to somewhere with jobs and free housing elsewhere in the country (which as far as I know doesn't exist).

[Slugger]

It's 55% that are under 18 Ali