london riot

New riots ‘only a matter of time’, author warns
It is ‘only a matter of time’ before riots witnessed two summers ago are repeated, an author has said. The warning comes after the two-year anniversary of the shooting of Mark Duggan by police in north London, which sparked social unrest in London and other cities lasting days. Writer Polly Courtney said fresh rioting and looting was inevitable with children’s services facing cuts and one-in-five young people out of work
‘Charities are doing an incredible job right now but, unless there is a significant shift in government priorities and spending, more riots can only be a matter of time,’ Ms Courtney said. ‘Since August 2011, the situation for many young people has got worse, not better. Unemployment among 16 to 24-year-olds is still at close to 1million. That is 20 per cent of our young people out of work. More than half of councils have been forced to cut their spending on children’s services.’
Former investment banker Ms Courtney spoke to young people in areas affected by the riots as she researched her new novel Feral Youth. She said youngsters felt like they had nothing to lose. ‘Each one had an individual story, but the thing that everyone had in common was a sense that they had nothing to lose. They had nothing to lose by getting involved because they couldn’t see a path for themselves in the future,’ she said. ‘I think giving young people opportunities is the key thing that we need to focus on.’ Barbara Rayment, director of counselling service Youth Access, commented: ‘Given the right spark, the conditions exist for further eruptions of violence.
‘Benefit cuts, poor access to housing and job opportunities, coupled with ongoing difficulties in police relations and lack of investment in youth services, demonstrate the lack of any empathetic government policy that addresses young people’s concerns.’