Tuesday, August 9, 2011

WHEN LONDON TURNS INTO BAGHDAD AS GANGS ROAM

Some 16,000 police officers will be
on the streets of London Tuesday
night, after British Prime Minister
David Cameron vowed tough
action to quell rioting in Britain's
cities.
He said the extra officers -- more
than twice as many as the night
before -- would tackle the
"criminality, pure and simple" that
has shaken the capital. Officers
from several other cities were
drafted in to help in the effort.
"People should be in no doubt that
we will do everything necessary to
restore order to Britain's streets
and make them safe for the law-
abiding," Cameron said.
Violence initially sparked by the
shooting death of a 29-year-old
man in London, Mark Duggan,
spread to other parts of the nation
Monday night, with dramatic
scenes of blazing buildings and
confrontations between police and
hooded youths.
The trouble -- described by police
as "'copycat criminal activity" --
takes place against a backdrop of
austerity measures and budget
cuts.
An independent police body
reported Tuesday that there was
"no evidence" that Duggan had
opened fire at officers, a result that
may further anger his community.
The police appealed for calm in
light of the report.
The Metropolitan Police in London
said Monday night's disturbances
were the worst the force "has seen
in current memory for
unacceptable levels of widespread
looting, fires and disorder."
Meanwhile, a 26-year-old man who
was found with a gunshot wound
to the head in Croydon, south
London, on Monday night has died,
police said Tuesday. His is the first
riot-related death since the unrest
broke out Saturday night.
Rumours swirled Tuesday
afternoon of police responding to
different areas of London, but the
only outbreaks of disorder
confirmed by police were in
Wolverhampton and West
Bromwich, about 100 miles north
of London, and the northwestern
city of Manchester.
Cameron, who cut short his
vacation in Italy to hold an
emergency meeting Tuesday, has
also taken the highly unusual step
of recalling lawmakers from their
summer break, with Parliament to
meet Thursday.

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