The police establishment has delivered its initial verdict on this summer’s rioting, following the massacre of children at Southport. Andy Cooke, His Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Constabulary and a former chief constable for Merseyside, yesterday published the first part of a report ordered by the Home Secretary to examine the policing response and make recommendations. The review very clearly states that forces underestimated the power and potency of ‘extreme nationalist sentiment’ and that this was a significant aggravating factor in the rioting that disfigured communities across the country. Is this a justifiable focus?
Many of the places and forces where the worst of the violence happened feel abandoned
In the aftermath of the riots, senior organisations like RUSI and policing commentators such as former Met Commander Neil Basu argued forcefully that those involved in serious rioting should be prosecuted under terrorism legislation. This has failed to materialise in a single case, even at the charging stage, let alone on conviction.
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