Comments:David Cameron responds to rioting, promises changes on policing

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Riots have occurred around the world and in England itself for centuries, always revolving around similar conditions- from the 1700s where riots occurred due to various grievances such as the 'price of flour and bread, wages and conditions, political reform':all issues affecting a certain aspect of society. Even the not-forgotten 1980s show a remarkably comparable situation to the riots of 2011. Not surprisingly, then Sir Ian's remedy was to 'give total support to the police.' Is it any wonder these methods aren't working and we continue to follow a certain pattern? It is the same people who are lacking political voice, are subject to relative deprivation- that is they are able to see what they lack in comparison to others surrounding them- and are at the bottom of the scale in terms of resources. It's no wonder riots tend to happen when unemployment is high, housing and education is unequally distributed, and police are resented for their injustices such as their sometimes unnecessary stop-and-search measures and incidents of abuse and attacks, or even ambivalence towards crimes committed on certain citizens. Politicians talk of the use of water cannons and rubber bullets to prevent further rioting. But more rigorous forms of policing will only make matters worse, acting as a viscous cycle, as more oppressive measures further alienates people and diminishes the cooperation and consent of people living in the inner cities. It has been shown that 'an increase in coercion by a regime very frequently leads to an increase in violent disturbances'. Instead we need to discover the root causes of riots and disobedience, rather than offering a short-term quick fix remedy. The inequalities of society have led to the isolation of certain members and if conditions persist, riots will inevitably happen again.

so a riot that arose out of perceived police oppression is being handled by allowing more oppressive policing. good luck with that.