Publish Date : Tuesday 3 July 2012 - 08:00
British police fear more social unrest
Islam Times - Last summer Britain descended into an orgy of violence which led to the deaths of 5 people, to thousands of arrests and to 100s of millions of pounds of damage.
Initially the police were widely condemned for their hands-off approach, effectively allowing shops and businesses to be ransacked and burned.
But after several days of unrest police numbers were reinforced and order was restored.
A new study by the Guardian newspaper and the London School of Economics has found that police felt they were vastly outnumbered during the unrest and that their lives were in danger.
They also expect another outburst of unrest in London, possibly even this summer, as economic hardship pushes more people towards the edge.
This, as the country prepares to host the Olympic Games.
The Guardian/LSE report also found that the police feel their ability to respond to any unrest could be weakened by government austerity measures.
The government wants to make cuts of about 20 percent to police budgets. They also face pay freezes and higher pension contributions.
Accordingly, the police say they’re planning to reduce the number of frontline officers by 5,800 within the next three years.
However, not everyone feels sorry for the police.
They’ve been heavily criticized for their handling of student demonstrations, which has been described as brutal.
And they’ve been accused of not doing enough to engage with disenfranchised young people.
Meanwhile, massive and costly security arrangements are underway in London as it prepares to host the Olympic Games.
Thousands of tourists and sports fans are expected to flock to Britain, and another bout of social unrest is the last thing the British government wants when it’s trying to present a positive image of then UK to the world.
Story Code: 176301
