Gang life ... insiders paint a miserable and dangerous existence

WITH last week's riots across Britain and an alarming rate of teenage murders, gangs are striking fear into the heart of our communities.But a chilling new police report exposes the hopelessness of life for the youths who get sucked into their savage grip.It reveals gang "soldiers"...

New CCTV of the riots in Birmingham shows police officers being shot at,

New CCTV of the riots in Birmingham shows police officers being shot at, the West Midlands force has said.The footage, which has been released by the police to encourage members of the public to come forward, shows a group in the Newtown area late on 9 August.The group, all masked and all wearing black clothing, caused extensive damage at the Barton Arms pub.Shots were also fired at the police helicopter and petrol bombs thrown at a marked police...

Controversy over harsh sentences in Britain

British courts have been accused of resorting to “rough justice” under government pressure, with judges and magistrates handing out unduly harsh sentences to young people involved in the recent riots after being reportedly advised to “tear up” normal sentencing guidelines when dealing with convicted rioters.MPs and rights activists expressed concern over “naming and shaming” of young offenders and giving them long sentences as part of the Conservative-led...

What was the cause of the riots in the United Kingdom?

This wasn’t a political riot. There wasn’t anything political about it. It wasn’t even race-on-race rioting. It was races rioting together — rioting against the state, and for themselves.Last week, renowned British historian David Starkey made this point to the BBC: The rioting was just shopping with violence. People sensed a moment of lawlessness and impunity.But Starkey’s point was an observation, not an explanation. How did thousands of people...

Convicted rioters who went on the rampage in Britain will be set to work clearing up communities they devastated

Convicted rioters who went on the rampage in Britain will be set to work clearing up communities they devastated, deputy prime minister Nick Clegg said on Tuesday. “In every single one of the communities affected there will be community payback schemes, riot payback schemes,” Clegg told reporters in London.Rioters would be compelled to wear orange clothing so they are clearly visible “making up the damage done, repairing and improving the neighbourhoods...

A man accused of torching a 140-year-old furniture shop during the riots made a defiant gesture in the dock yesterday.

Father-of-two Gordon Thompson, 33, saluted friends as he was remanded in custody and led to the cells.He is alleged to have triggered the inferno which saw Reeves of Croydon, a family business that had survived two world wars, reduced to a charred ruin during last week's disturbances.Images of the blazing store and a young woman leaping from an upper storey illustrated the wave of anarchy which swept across London for four days.Painter and decorator...

17-year-old was arrested after a police station was attacked and a patrol car set on fire in Washington, near Sunderland

A father broke down in tears as his teenage son was remanded in custody charged with one of the few incidents of trouble last week in north-east England.The man was comforted by his wife as the 17-year-old was led away after being accused of violent disorder in which a police station in Washington, near Sunderland, was attacked and a patrol car set on fire.The defendant, who cannot be named for legal reasons, looked distraught when bail was denied....

Ed Miliband condemns David Starkey's race comment

Labour leader Ed Miliband has described historian David Starkey's comments on race as "disgusting and outrageous".Mr Starkey told BBC2's Newsnight "whites have become black" after four days of rioting across England.Mr Starkey added that "a particular sort of violent, destructive, nihilistic, gangster culture has become the fashion".Mr Miliband said these were "racist comments, frankly, and there is no place for them in our society".Speaking at Haverstock...

Boris Johnson in tough units call for young rioters

London Mayor Boris Johnson has called for rioting and looting youngsters to be sent to tough units specialising in dealing with unruly children.Mr Johnson wants courts to be able to send those aged 11 to 15 convicted of being involved in disturbances to pupil referral un...

18-year-old who was on bail over a gang MURDER was brought before court for looting.

The teenager is a talented footballer who is studying to be a football coach, the court heard.It was claimed the man smashed his way into a Carphone Warehouse on August 9 with a gang of youths.He also appeared for breaching an anti-social behaviour order in July, the prosecutor Manjit Mahal said.Meanwhile officers investigating the looting and riots that swept London have arrested three teenagers after identifying them on CCTV, Scotland Yard said.After...

Supercop’ Bill Bratton to Target Gangs in England

Bill Bratton, the man credited with cleaning up crime in New York and Los Angeles, has been called on by David Cameron to help stamp out British gang violence, Bratton confirmed to ABC, saying that he hoped to work as a consultant for Scotland Yard. Cameron addressed parliament yesterday...

UK Muslims Respond to Hate Crime with Prayer

The riots that ripped through several cities in England early this week resulted in the deaths of three young South Asian Muslim men in Birmingham on Wednesday. However, the local Muslim community decided to reply with prayer instead of more violence.The three victims had been standing with other local residents in an effort to protect their property from looters when a car plowed through the line of defense.An estimated 300 Muslim and Sikh men gathered...

The Man Whose Death Sparked The British Riots Was A Notorious Crime Lord's Nephew

Mark Duggan's shooting sparked some of the worst civil unrest the British public has seen in decades.However, little is known about the man himself, except that he was a father of four, yet also was carrying an illegal gun.There had been theories put forward that Duggan may have had serious links to the UK's drug underworld, but all were remained unconfirmed.Now, new evidence seems to support this theory.The Sun has confirmed that Duggan was the...

More time to quiz Birmingham hit-and-run deaths suspect

Police have been given more time to question a suspect over the suspected hit-and-run deaths of three men in Birmingham during Tuesday's disorder.Haroon Jahan, 21, Shahzad Ali, 30, and Abdul Musavir, 31, died as they protected property in Winson Green.West Midlands Police was granted a 12-hour extension, until 12:00 BST on Thursday, to question the 32-year-old held on suspicion of murder.About 250 people attended a peaceful vigil on Dudley Road in...

Last night disorder and looting rocked parts of Manchester particularly, but there was also trouble in Wolverhampton, West Bromwich, Nottingham, Leicester and Liverpool

Last night disorder and looting rocked parts of Manchester particularly, but there was also trouble in Wolverhampton, West Bromwich, Nottingham, Leicester and Liverpool - although police appeared to containing the unrest.But in what was by far the most serious incident of the night...

The Met’s acting head denied his commanders were ordered to “watch and wait”, rather than intervene,

Many observers have been baffled by the performance of the Metropolitan Police during London’s recent riots, with officers seeming to stand by as homes were attacked and businesses destroyed. This was partly poor tactics, but it was also a function of a deeper malaise – a model of...

Five people were arrested overnight in Berkshire for criminal damage and burglary, police said.

Four people were arrested in Reading over an attempted burglary of a shop in Craddock Road and there was also a fire in London Road on Tuesday night.In Slough, police made an arrest for criminal damage after dealing with a small group of people causing minor disorder in the town.Police officers also supported the fire service at a blaze in the town.Thames Valley Police has set up Twitter feeds to keep communities in the Reading and Slough areas updated.Deputy...

Essex Police arrest 19 people over disorder

Nineteen people have been arrested by police in Essex over incidents of disorder in the county on Tuesday night.Thirteen people were questioned over a burglary in Buckhurst Hill and four were arrested over minor damage in Harlow town centre. All 17 were bailed.Two male youths were arrested over damage to a police vehicle in Loughton.Further to the 19 arrests, three teenagers are being held for comments made on social networking sites.They are an...

Police release more CCTV suspect images

Police have released a second round of CCTV images of suspects in its investigation into rioting in London.The pictures are from the looting and violent disorder in Tottenham and Wood Green in north London on 6 August.In total, 770 people have been arrested in London since Saturday...

further night of riots across several major towns and cities in England has been condemned

further night of riots across several major towns and cities in England has been condemned.There were disturbances in areas including Greater Manchester, Liverpool, Nottingham and Birmingham, with shops being looted and set alight.A murder inquiry is under way in Birmingham after...

Police arrested more than 110 people after mobs of violent youths marauded through Manchester and Salford.

Fire bombs were thrown at shops and windows were smashed as looters made off with designer clothes, electrical items, jewellery, mobile phones and alcohol.Hundreds of rioters, some looking as young as nine or 10, rampaged throughout Manchester city centre and Salford shopping precinct from about 5pm on Tuesday.Assistant Chief Constable Garry Shewan, of Greater Manchester police, said his officers were "absolutely intent" on bringing those responsible...

Rioters in London have forced people to strip naked in the streets before stealing their clothes,

Rioters in London have forced people to strip naked in the streets before stealing their clothes, a media report said on Tuesday.There were shocking scenes as rioters stole clothes and rifled through bags as people made their way home, the Daily Mail reported. Internet rumours on Monday night claimed that besides destruction across London and Birmingham, people were having their clothes removed by looters as police attempted to contain the criminality,...

Manchester gangs using children as lookouts

Despite riot police positioned across the city, up to 1,000 youths, many on mountain bikes and the majority with their faces masked, caused the kind of mayhem seen in London earlier in the week.On Tuesday night, the youths smashed shop windows, looted and set fire to shops and hurled missiles at police.Many of the gangs appeared to be looting without any intervention from officers.But in a new development, youths including young girls, appeared to...

Sporadic violence has broken out in Birmingham.

Sporadic violence has broken out in several parts of London as shops are looted and police are attacked in a third day of civil disorder - and there has also been unrest in Birmingham.The latest disturbances in the capital were centred around Hackney in east London, and Lewisham, Peckham and Croydon in the south.Clapham also fell victim to rioting, with rows of shops on Lavender Hill attacked.Prime Minister David Cameron is to return to London overnight...

Theresa May's return from holiday comes as Nick Clegg defends government over absence of ministers

The home secretary, Theresa May, is flying back from her summer holiday after a second night of violence in London left at least nine more police officers injured and led to more than 100 arrests.Her return comes amid growing criticism over the absence of senior politicians and police leaders as "copycat" looting broke out on Sunday night across several boroughs in north, south and east London following riots in Tottenham on Saturday.Brixton in south...

TEENAGER has died after being brutally attacked by thugs in a row at a house party.

Les Berry was found with horrific injuries at his home in the early hours of yesterday morning.It's understood that the 19-year-old was badly beaten and stabbed in a brawl. Police yesterday launched a murder probe in Kilsyth, Stirlingshire, following a postmortem examination.Neighbours in the street reported hearing loud music and noise coming from the block where Les lived after he moved to Kilsyth from his family home in nearby Cumbernauld.Detective...

Police 'had not anticipated' extreme violence

The Metropolitan police has admitted it "had not anticipated" the extreme violence that saw police attacked and buildings and vehicles set alight during sustained rioting in Tottenham, north London.As questions were asked about the level of policing, Commander Adrian Hanstock said a peaceful vigil by the family of 29-year-old Mark Duggan, who was fatally shot by officers in the area on Thursday, had been "hijacked by mindless thugs" and that the...

Trouble in Enfield follows night of serious riots

FOLLOWING A night of violence in London on Saturday, youths last night vandalised a police car and smashed windows on Enfield High Street in London. There were unconfirmed reports that a number of vehicles were set alight.Groups of hooded youths, some numbering 30 or so, ran around...

alleged gangster better known to many as "Starrish Mark", he had been under police surveillance for some time. Officers approached his car with the intention of making an arrest. Shots were fired.

As Mark Duggan rode in a minicab over the Ferry Lane Bridge near Tottenham Hale underground station early on Thursday evening, he texted his girlfriend to say: "The feds are following me." Minutes later the 29-year-old father of four was dead.As an alleged gangster better known to many as "Starrish Mark", he had been under police surveillance for some time. Officers approached his car with the intention of making an arrest. Shots were fired. One...

Enfield riots spread to Brixton, police reportedly in retreat

Having simmered for a few hours, Brixton is reportedly seeing some violence at the moment. North and south of the Thames, London is burning and the ability of police to deal with the sheer scale of the disturbances is now in doubt.Businesses in Brixton have reportedly been told to shut, and cordons have been set up. There are unconfirmed reports of police lines moving back. A couple of hours ago, it seemed that the police strategy was working and...

POLICE car has been attacked in Enfield Town amid clashes between rioters and police.

The vehicle in Church Street was pelted with bricks, while police have confirmed that two shops were targeted by gangs of people with hoods and scarves covering their face.Rumours that riots in Tottenham last night were due to spread to Enfield were spread across social networking...