Feral youths; criminal thugs; a British made problem; mindless destruction; betrayed generations – just some of the quotes from BBC 1 – lunchtime today. The debate just goes on.
What drives a young person to mindless destruction of personal property? Do they understand the difference between right and wrong – do they care? Why not? Indeed; do they value life itself – weather it’s their own or that of their nemesis?
Of course, these questions are in no way intended to detract from the need to address the immediate criminality. But I keep re-running in my mind something my son told me at 2am last night as we watched around 60 hooded and scarf-wrapped youths being chased up Kentish Town Road by riot police from our second floor living room window. He said “It makes me sad when I compare a Libyan youth rioting in the streets of Tripoli defending his right to freedom from repression by his own leader, and a British youth in the streets of London defending his right to take a plasma television without having to work for it.”
I like to think of myself as an interwoven part in the fabric of my community. It has taken me the best part of 25 years to get to this stage. And still, even now I am struggling to see what society owes these youths. How have we betrayed them? Who is to blame for families becoming dysfunctional?
We have built community centres. We have provided youth facilities. We have employed youth workers. The ones who were interested have engaged with us. They have made and are making the crossing into productive citizens.
However I fear that the ones rioting last night are the minority who simply refuse to accept that wrong is wrong. I only thank the Camden police for their bravery and restraint under impossible conditions, often putting their own safety in jeopardy to protect people and property – it could have been far worse. Last night’s riots were not a statement against the police, nor were they the result of this Government’s cuts for they have yet to bite. And when they do, I fear we shall need our police more than ever.
Therefore, my message to our Government is that now is not the time to cut our frontline police men and women. We should value and respect them and what they do for society.
