Prime Minister Cameron Looks to U.S. for Advice to Help with U.K. Riots

London is rioting.  There’s blood in the streets and UK Prime Minister David Cameron is desperate to staunch the bleeding.  In an emergency 3-hour meeting where he answered 160 questions from lawmakers, Cameron vowed to stop the violence by implementing tough measures, adding, “nothing should be off the table.” 

Among the more serious suggestions to quell the violence precipitated by youth-rioters were water cannons and rubber bullets, buttressing police presence with assistance from the UK’s military, censoring and disabling social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook rioters used to coordinate strikes, locking down apprehended criminals in London’s prized Wembley Stadium, and seeking crowd control and rioting advice from their neighbors across the pond – the United States. 

Cameron told lawmakers, “I also believe we should be looking beyond our shores to learn the lessons from others who have faced similar problems.”

Cameron said he would like to examine U.S. cities like Boston, New York, and Los Angeles that have expertise and experience in dealing with social upheaval and crowd control.  Cities that have fought riots “by engaging the police, the voluntary sector and local government.”

He also mentioned a potential point of contact, former Los Angeles and New York Police Chief Bill Bratton.

In the meantime, Cameron has ramped up police presence throughout London deploying roughly 16,000 officers while the courts work through the night to process riot suspects, looters, and vandals brought in by police. According to an AP report, the “number of people arrested since Saturday rose to 922, with 401 suspects charged.” 

Although everyone has his/her theory, what caused the riots still remains a mystery.  Some believe there is a political tinge to the violence and looting.  They argue that the expected $130 billion cuts in public spending to reduce UK’s bloated budget deficit triggered a response by disenfranchised youths who believe they are being exploited by corporations and Cameron’s Conservative regime. 

Others attribute the rampant lawlessness to a lax police force and a defenseless society.  That is, some believe the rioters, the looters, and the vandals revolted because they knew they could get away with it, that there would be very little, if any, effective resistance. 

As one young wastrel texted to his cohorts, “What ever ends your from put your ballys [ski masks] on link up and cause havoc, just rob everything.  Police can’t stop it.”   He added, “Meet up, smash up shops and get some free stuff.”