Rioters: Young & Poor, But Not Gang Members According To The Government

(Reuters) - Those who took part in Britain's worst rioting for decades this summer were young, poor, and had education problems but contrary to claims by politicians, only a minority were gang members, official data released on Monday showed.

The findings reignited political debate over the significance of the riots. Five days of serious disorder in cities across England in August were only dissipated by the deployment of thousands of police officers on the streets.

Prime Minister David Cameron blamed "criminality," saying that street gangs were at the heart of the problem, and rejected accusations that government austerity measures had alienated youths in poorer communities.

But an analysis by the Home Office and Ministry of Justice of those arrested during and after the riots showed gangs had not been a major factor.

Only 13 percent of those arrested nationwide were reported to have been affiliated to a gang, and most police forces outside London registered a figure below 10 percent.

"In terms of the role gangs played in the disorder, most forces perceived that where gang members were involved, they generally did not play a pivotal role," said the Home Office report, although it said there were examples of some orchestrated problems.

The analysis, based on data available up to mid-October, showed there had been more than 5,000 crimes recorded during the five days of rioting, almost 4,000 arrests and nearly 2,000 people had appeared at court.

Most offenders or suspects came from socially deprived backgrounds and had criminal records. Half of those appearing in court were under 20, with a quarter aged 10 to 17.

Just over three-quarters had a previous conviction, and 26 percent had already committed more than 10 offences.

"It is clear that compared to population averages, those brought before the courts were more likely to be in receipt of free school meals or benefits, were more likely to have had special educational needs and be absent from school, and more likely to have some form of criminal history," the Ministry of Justice report said.

The figures showed most of the young people involved lived in one of the 20 most deprived areas of the country and two-thirds were classed as having some form of special educational needs.

Thirty-five percent of adults involved were unemployed compared to an English national average of 12 percent.

"These figures confirm that, in the vast majority of cases, existing criminals were out in force during the disturbances in August," said Criminal Justice Minister Nick Herbert.

"The fact that half of recorded crimes were for offences like stealing and looting shows that most of what we saw was motivated by opportunity and greed."

However Labour MP Diane Abbott whose north London constituency was one of the worst hit, said the reports showed the government was out of touch.

"The fact that David Cameron blames gangs, pure and simple, shows just how little the government really knows about inner city areas," she said. "It is a series of much more complex issues that the government needs to start engaging with."

Meanwhile, a separate report by London's Metropolitan Police concluded that although the scale and speed of the riots was unprecedented, there were not enough officers available on the night the disorder broke out.

It said a review would look at how to increase the number of public order trained officers as well as the cost of deploying water cannons, although it acknowledged they might be of limited use.

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So even allowing for the Government's own skewed interests in the subject and ignoring the comments from the 'Justice' Minister (so the idle rich aren't opportunistic and greedy then?), it seems what many initially thought was correct: that the majority of people on the streets during the riots were angry, young and likely unemployed with nothing much to live for. So much for the hysteria whipped up by the rabid press and media and so much for the Government's finger-on-the-pulse comments. Can they become any more detached from reality without the aid of drugs?! The simple truth is that for millions poverty consigns them to a bleak future and no amount of reforms, tinkering, or riots for that matter will change the system that is responsible - only a socialist future can do that.

SussexSocialist