Arrests are proceeding following the looting. The Willesden Times reports one such here. Those both sound like organised gangs, although I am sure that there is an element of opportunistic theft as well. Some of the looters appear to have got themselves fairly severe sentences over trivial items. The Guardian on Friday carried a story of someone being sent to prison for stealing a few pounds worth of bottled water. Is that really worth getting a criminal record for?
Ed Miliband has called for some form of public enquiry into the causes of the riots, and I think that would be very welcome as I think many of the responses from both left and right have been fairly knee jerk, and a more evidence based approach is needed.
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