The gang culture in certain parts of London is totally out of hand and needs to be dealt with. It has more to do with the supply of illegal drugs than with disenfranchisement and it is the suppliers and dealers who are holding these areas to ransom and creating dysfunctional environments that breeds the gang cultures. The gangs are not in fear of authority they are in fear of the reactions of those who want them to react against authority. Often the community members know who shoots and kills but are too scared to tell the truth - not scared of the police but scared of those who run the gangs and run the activities behind the gangs.
Most of the young people involved in the looting are vulnerable and have been failed by many many agencies and by their parents, often their fathers, because in these communities fathers are not present to provide materially or to provide emotional support and to be active role models and this situation has been perpetuated now since the 1960's and has become worse and worse over time. We now are dealing with the third or fourth generation where family units do not exist, where recreational drugs are the norm and part of the culture, where if people work it is the women - who on one level are exceptional moral and capable, where benefits are expected as an entitlement, where housing is expected as an entitlement.
The situation has been compounded in London by very liberal views within education. I recall as a governor of a failing school in South London listening to the deputy head tell us it was wrong to tell these children that taking drugs was wrong because that would undermine the beliefs of the parents; likewise it was wrong to encourage them to get jobs and become financially independent because that too would undermine the parents. I also recall chairing the exclusion panel on one occasion and having to overturn the decision to permanently exclude a child who brandished a broken bottle at a teacher on the advice of the local authority because procedure had not been correctly followed. I did so with great reluctance and with a significant warning that the LA adviser and not me would be responsible for the consequences.
My own daughter attends a sought after London Comp. where last term the head sent out a letter congratulating the children (y7 - y9) on their superb conduct on school trips during an activity week. One of the children had been involved in a fight on a ferry. A head teacher thought it was right to congratulate the entire group for good behaviour - that is wholly indicative of the complete withdrawal from normal and acceptable standards of behaviour within the education system. When I was at school that child would have been at least temporarily excluded and under no circumstances would their have been congratulations for excellent behaviour that made the school proud.
I live in London cheek by jowl with these communities. I have only ever found the police in London to be helpful, respectful, sensible people, many of whom wish to work on behalf of these communities rather than against them.
As a society we have to work together to say enough is enough. There are basic standards of acceptable behaviour. It includes accepting authority, it includes following rules, it includes not engaging in criminal activity, it includes accepting consequences, it includes working, it includes being reliable, it includes being honest, it includes being financially independent before starting families, it includes fathers as well as mother accepting responsibilty for the financial and social well being of their offspring, it includes keeping mouths shut and swallowing the urge to answer back, it includes self reliance - by no means an exhaustive list.
The army should not be introduced to the streets but perhaps they are required to advise educational establishments for those who cannot be taught any longer in traditional schools and where teachers and other children should not have to have to deal with them on a daily basis. Establishments where discipline can be instilled - a half way house perhaps between school and prison. Something has to be done and many of these youths know exactly what they are doing - they know they are deviant, they know they are thieves, they know they are violent - they need to stop thinking they are smart and clever and cool. They are not.