To wonder at the lack of riot intervention...

[butterflyexperience]

Is because they want to introduce tight controls for 2012?

When there is a terrorist threat it is all controlled and swept away without any media coverage apart from 7/7.

But with these riots taking place all over London and other cities the powers that be are powerless.

So am ibu to think this is a conspiracy?

YANBU/YABU. I think there has been some very irresponsible media reporting, and as I said on another thread, a population in fear is a population that is easily controlled. Whilst Whitehall may not have been to blame for the riots, no doubt the powers that be will take the opportunity to maximise the benefits to the state.

To be honest I am in favour of the
Media reporting I am in London with family who live an work in reported and unreported areas and it is good to know what is going on so we can prepare somewhat.

If the media was not reporting it would have all gone underground with social media controlling the information.

Please be aware not all areas are being reported by the media.

YAB completely U to think it is a conspiracy. The police are going to get tougher from now on, which is why they are urging everyone to keep themselves and their children indoors. But this government more generally is keen to increase civil liberties rather than reduce them the way the Labour government wanted to do....90 day detention without trial, DNA databases etc.

4 days on and now the police are getting tough?
Somthing is not ringing true here?

Yes it is a difficult situation but during the protests last year police were tough for much less, so with these riots what's going on???

Yes, and they were roundly criticised for their approach to last years riots.

They are stretched into a "thin blue line" (almost literally in some scenes on TV), facing young kids so can't be too heavy-handed, also trying to get rubber-neckers out of the way and facing all sorts of missiles in the process.

I wouldn't do their job for all the tea in China.

The rioters are lucky they are not in Libya or somewhere similar where any show of defiance against the existing government would result in them being killed by their own country's soldiers, yet our country won't even use plastic bullets or water cannons against them, time to up the ante and give them a strong message that this is unacceptable.

If this was a terrorist attack would it take the police 4 days to get tough?

What is the difference between these riots and a terrorist attack?

Both would destroy and create havoc, yes?

Terrorist attacks are events (usually) that don't generally set a chain reaction in motion rsulting in arson, looting, assault etc.
I don't understand why you think the two types of events can be compared?
They are just talking about how thinly stretched the police were - being pulled from one place to another as trouble broke out all over the palce.

Perhaps you can outline your contingency plan for us butterfly?

What's the difference? The difference is that the police are faced with young people throwing stones and running off into crowds of ordinary bystanders.... .not terrorists armed with bombs. The police have been charging the crowds on horseback, chasing off looters with batons when they can... hardly kid glove stuff. But that hasn't dispersed the rioters so now it has to escalate. Hence the advice to keep ourselves and our children off the streets. It's a warning. ie. they're going to go in hard and anyone in the vicinity is likely to get hurt.

So far the police's hand really have been tied- go in too hard - get blamed for heavy handedness - - go in as they have been - allow thugs to escalate and make the public feel they are not doing enough.

Last nights media showed one of the reasons- a lot of the perpetraitors are young children/teens being led by older gang members in cars. The police would have the public up in arms if they went in heavy handed against school age children.

After the Met's warnings last night things will get heavier from tonight - as DC said if you are old enough to commit the crime you are old enough to deal with the punishment, in other words from tonight and children carrying out this violence ill be treated like an adult and in my opinion that is how it should be.

Any responsible parent would make sure their children/teens are inside safe from harm.

Terrorists are not alone to using bombs.

Why would I have a contingency plan?

For me this is a discussion, there is no need to get sarcastic.

There some children involved but most are late teens and above.

What?
"Terrorists are not alone to using bombs" - no it's usually a cell of terrorists that plan it but a bomb blast does not set off a chain of events like these riots.
Cogito has explained perfectly well.

There are too many people who "discuss" things like this (usually a thinly veiled reason to take a pop at the police) but would have not the faintest idea about how to run an operation like this themselves.
Doesn't seem to stop them having an opinion on it without having all the facts to hand.

I think it's quite obviously because there is simply too much trouble, in too many areas and not enough police/firefighters/ambulances to deal with it.

Terror attacks don't happen in the same way riots/disturbances do.