Cameron on further UK RIOTS

No 10: Further Statement by PM Cameron. The PM has stated the following on a further night of rioting in the UK, “ ..Since yesterday there are more police on the street, more people have been arrested and more people are being charged and prosecuted. Last night there were around 16,000 police on the streets of London and there is evidence that a more robust approach to policing in London resulted in a much quieter night across the capital and let me pay tribute to the bravery of those police officers and, indeed, everyone working for our emergency services. In total, there have been 750 arrests in London since Saturday with more than 160 people being charged. Today, major police operations are underway as I speak to arrest the criminals who were not picked up last night but who were picked up on closed-circuit television cameras. Picture by picture these criminals are being identified and arrested and we will not let any phony concerns about human rights get in the way of the publication of these pictures and the arrest of these individuals. As I speak, sentences are also being passed. Courts sat through the night last night and will do again tonight. It is for the courts to sentence, but I would expect anyone convicted of violent disorder will be sent to prison. We needed a fight back and a fight back is underway. We have seen the worst of Britain, but I also believe we’ve seen some of the best of Britain: the million people who’ve signed up on Facebook to support the police, communities coming together in the cleanup operations.…Overnight we saw the same appalling violence and thuggery that we’ve seen in London in new cities including Birmingham, Manchester and Nottingham. In the West Midlands three men were killed in a hit and run in Birmingham and the police are working round the clock to get to the bottom of what happened and bring the perpetrator to justice. In Birmingham, over 160 arrests were made. In Salford, up to a thousand youths were attacking the police at the height of the disturbance. Across Greater Manchester more than 100 arrests were made and in Nottinghamshire, Canning Circus police station was firebombed and over 80 arrests were made. This continued violence is simply not acceptable and it will be stopped. We will not put up with this in our country. We will not allow a culture of fear to exist on our streets. Let me be clear. At COBRA this morning we agreed full contingency planning is going ahead. Whatever resources the police need they will get. Whatever tactics the police feel they need to employ they will have legal backing to do so. We will do whatever is necessary to restore law and order onto our streets. Every contingency is being looked at. Nothing is off the table. The police are already authorised to use baton rounds and we agreed at COBRA that while they’re not currently needed we now have in place contingency plans for water cannon to be available at 24 hours’ notice. It is all too clear that we have a big problem with gangs in our country. For too long there’s been a lack of focus on the complete lack of respect shown by these groups of thugs. I’m clear that they are in no way representative of the vast majority of young people in our country who despise them, frankly, as much as the rest of us do, but there are pockets of our society that are not just broken but, frankly, sick. When we see children as young as 12 and 13 looting and laughing, when we see the disgusting sight of an injured young man with people pretending to help him while they are robbing him, it is clear there are things that are badly wrong in our society. For me, the root cause of this mindless selfishness is the same thing that I have spoken about for years. It is a complete lack of responsibility in parts of our society. People allowed to feel that the world owes them something, that their rights outweigh their responsibilities and that their actions do not have consequences. Well, they do have consequences. We need to have a clearer code of values and standards that we expect people to live by and stronger penalties if they cross the line. Restoring a stronger sense of responsibility across our society, in every town, in every street, in every estate is something I’m determined to do. Tomorrow, COBRA will meet again, Cabinet will meet, I’ll make a statement to Parliament, I’ll set out in full the measures that we’ll take to help businesses that have been affected, to help rebuild communities, to help rebuild the shops and buildings that have been damaged, to make sure the homeless are rehoused, to help local authorities in all the ways that are necessary. But today, right now, the priority is still clear: we will take every action necessary to bring order back to our streets. ”. If need be the Army with live ammo should be used, looters if the situation gets worse should be shot on sight, but only if gets worse folks. This is the ultimate test for the Coalition, the Conservative Party cant allow the liberal strand of the Liberal Democrats to get in the way of securing the streets. Thus extra Police should be send to Cities outside London, the Human Rights Act should be suspended, time to get tough folks.