(UK) Reading the Riots study reveals police fears over further unrest

[alp227]

Police expect a repeat of the riots that spread across England last summer and are concerned about whether they will have the resources to cope with more unrest on that scale, according to the findings of the most in-depth research conducted into the disorder.

Officers interviewed as part of the study said further disorder was likely, with many citing worsening social and economic conditions as the potential cause. There is considerable concern among police that their ability to deal with any future riots may be affected by the scale of the budget cuts currently affecting forces.

This blunt assessment of the country's preparedness for disorder comes from interviews with 130 police officers of all ranks who took part in the second part of Reading the Riots, a joint study by the Guardian and London School of Economics.

The interviews, which are mostly anonymous accounts of the riots in five English cities, give an unprecedented insight into what thousands of officers – both on the frontline and in control rooms – experienced during the most serious bout of civil disorder in a generation.

full: http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2012/jul/01/reading-the-riots-police-fears

[snot]

1. I realize this is the UK; but I hope this kind of story isn't a wind-up to

getting us to spend more money to further militarize police, and tolerate more police misconduct.