We are not equipped to deal with riots in this country, and that’s good news

This is my latest Scotsman column, published in today's paper (20th August 2024).

With years, sometimes decades between riots, specialist response cannot be justified.

Now that the dust has settled and the courts are well into the business of handing out draconian punishments, what have we learned from the great English summer riots of 2024?

It remains to be seen what deterrent effect the speedy criminal justice response will have but the robust approach to online instigators is new and impressive. The keyboard warriors are no longer safe behind their bedroom curtains. But apart from that the riots of 2024 have followed a similar pattern to those of 2011, and on back to the riots in Brixton and Toxteth several decades before.

In all cases simmering discontent and a feeling of grievance by communities that feel marginalised, are sparked by traumatic incidents. There’s no doubt that malign online actors aggravated the violence in Southport, but it would probably have happened anyway - with or without social media. What followed was a familiar scene. Rows of police men and women, in their flameproof overalls, riot helmets and shields standing in serried ranks, getting abused and sometimes attacked by hooligans to their front and sometimes to their rear as well.

As usual, an almost entirely defensive position was taken, like so many ‘ sitting ducks’, soaking up the damage. Which always begs the obvious question. Why do we always look so flat-footed in our response to riots? Why are we not better equipped to take a more offensive approach, like the French or the Germans. The answer is simple. We are not equipped to deal with riots because they happen so infrequently that we don’t have to be.

That’s why, contrary to our PM’s utterances, we do not have ‘a Standing Army of public order police‘ and we never will have. We do not have an equivalent to The French National Security Police (CRS), trained in anti riot techniques, because with years, sometimes decades between riots, it couldn’t be justified. Likewise, specialised kit like Water Cannons, Tear Gas and Rubber Bullets. Water Cannons are heavy, unwieldy, and useless unless you know exactly where and when a disturbance will take place. Even if we had had a fleet of them, I doubt that any would have been based near Southport.

The three Water Cannons that Boris Johnson bought when he was London Mayor lay unused for ten years before being scrapped. Likewise Tear Gas or Pepper Spray is useful against violent individuals but against crowds is indiscriminate and a change of wind can render its use counter productive. Then there’s Rubber Bullets, or Baton Rounds. They can be lethal at close range and for that among other reasons have never been used on the UK mainland.

We are not equipped to deal with riots in this country because, we do not have to be. Generally speaking we are not a riotous people. Let’s hope our leaders keep their fingers on the pulse of the public mood and it remains that way .