The London Riots

“Let’s make sure if people riot and break the law they get thrown out of their council house"

Photo from: telegraph.co.uk

In a recent speech on UK TV, David Cameron claimed that “For too long we’ve taken a too-soft attitude towards people that loot and pillage their own community" and, as a result of this, the government are stating that people who are convicted of crimes relating to the London Riots could risk losing their state funded housing. 

However, there is one problem with this strong statement: there are many people with criminal records who live in council houses already. This raises the question: why won't they be evicted too? The fact that only crimes relating to the riots will result in eviction does seem to send out the message that a first time offender who stole some trainers from JD sports deserves a greater punishment than a repeat offender who has been charged for countless offences.

Overall, I feel that the government desperately wants to be seen by the public as taking control of the situation to calm people's nerves and restore a sense of normality. However, in doing so, they seem to be ignoring the bigger picture of why a child would be involved in the riots and also implying that not all crimes deserve equal punishment. But, such drastic measures may be necessary in reducing the levels of petty crimes such as vandalism in poor areas and by evicting families, such measures could help to break up gang networks in communities.

What do you think about the government's take on punishing the looters of the London Riots? Is it all a publicity stunt or do you think the government will follow through with their promises and make a difference?