UK Riots: Public Inquiry Necessary

The events of the past few days have been a national tragedy and my heart goes out to the family of all those who've lost their lives, businesses and had their property damaged. In the coming days, weeks and months there will be a range of views from all sections of society as to the cause of the riots and effective solutions. What this accurately reflects is that there is no one factor which can be identified as being the cause of the riots, nor will there be any effective single solution. What is clear is that the solution has to be one which involves partnership working among organisations, groups and communities. Government's responsibility in this regard is to provide the appropriate steer and resources in finding and implementing an effective whole solution.

One crucial aspect of finding a solution involves a "Public Inquiry", which regrettably I have not heard strongly proposed by the government or any of our political leaders. A Home Affairs Select Committee Inquiry as has been proposed by Members of Parliament is not adequate to get to the heart of the problem, as the recent riots are more than a policing, crime and disorder issue.

In contributing to the identification of a solution(s) to the tragedy of the past few days, a public inquiry is necessary and must take into account the following pertinent points:

" Television footage of events, appear to show that a disproportionate number of rioters being young, male and of an ethnic minority background. This can be proved/dis-proved by noting the characteristics of all those individuals who have faced and will be facing the courts for events associated with the riots. I know that this observation might be controversial and I am not saying that all involved in the riots were of a particular background profile. However if it is found that many of those involved were of the above profile, then this will be indicative that there is a strong disconnect between sections of the community with the wider community. Only if this is acknowledged, can an effective solution tailored to the wider problem of what caused/contributed to the riots be formulated.

" Prior research and reports including from the Metropolitan Police have identified an increase in the number of young people in gangs, and failures/shortcomings in police engagement with these young people This reveals that there is a probable long standing social problem involving young people which to date has gone un-addressed by governments.

" Recent Department for Education data have highlighted that many students were leaving the education system without adequate reading and writing skills. The implication is that many young people have been inadequately prepared for meaningful employment, and the means with which to realise their goals and aspirations and to be productive members of the society.

" Budgetary cuts in funding to youth programmes and libraries have reduced the avenues through which youth ambitions and energy can be effectively channeled. A consequence is that idle hands with insufficient guidance can lead to irresponsible actions.

It is accepted that those who have been involved in the riots must be held accountable for their actions as is currently happening through the judicial system. However effective accountability cannot be restricted to custodial sentences. Instead community service should also be a much utilised tool with those involved in rioting being required to clean up and rebuild that which they have destroyed in their communities. Additionally, proposals that those involved in the riots lose their benefits also offer no effective solution. What this would in effect do is to aggravate an already bad situation with many of those dispossessed being even further dispossessed, and creating potential future problems with history repeating itself as in the riots over the past few days. Those involved in devising a solution have to be mindful that those with nothing to live for will have nothing to lose in irresponsible and destructive actions.

In identifying and implementing a solution for the benefit of the country, a Public Inquiry is crucial and constitutes a starting point. In this Inquiry all voices, and as unpalatable as this might be to some, including the voices of those who were involved in the riots will have to be heard. The young people who were involved in the riots and their future children are a part of this country, and their future children will be a part of this country's future. The notion of a "lost generation" has to be refuted, and instead the best of the United Kingdom shown through engagement and resolve, while noting the wise proverb "it takes a community to raise a child".

Dwight McKenzie