Law Homework Help

Police – Riots-Stress & Use of Force

The Final deals with the stress Police Officers (Constables) face in a deadly riot situation. The riot which occurred several years in London ago gives an honest picture of the feelings that Police Officers have when involved in riot situations, much like what happened recently in America.

Students should read the article and watch the attached video then answer the question in detail in a well written essay. There is no need to list each question however students should deal with each topic a-c in the order as listed.

The 2011 England riots occurred between 6 and 11 August 2011, when thousands of people rioted in several London boroughs and in cities and towns across England. The resulting chaos generated looting, arson, and mass deployment of police and resulted in the deaths of five people, and injuries to over 186 Police Officers.

Protests started in Tottenham, London, following the death of Mark Duggan, a local man who was shot dead by police on 4 August.[12] Several violent clashes with police ensued, along with the destruction of police vehicles, a double-decker bus and many homes and businesses, thus rapidly gaining attention from the media. Overnight, looting took place in Tottenham Hale retail park and nearby Wood Green. The following days saw similar scenes in other parts of London, with the most rioting taking place in Hackney, Brixton, Walthamstow, Peckham, Enfield, Battersea, Croydon, Ealing, Barking, Woolwich, Lewisham and East Ham.

From 8 to 10 August, other towns and cities in England (including Birmingham, Coventry, Leicester, Derby, Wolverhampton, Northampton, Nottingham, West Bromwich, Bristol, Liverpool, Manchester, and Salford) saw what was described by the media as “copycat violence”. Social media sites including Facebook also featured rumours of further disturbances or details surrounding known disturbances which were later proven to be inaccurate; for instance there were rumours of disturbances in the town of Dudley and at the nearby Merry Hill Shopping Centre, but no incidents in these areas were detected by police. Rumours of a hospital being targeted by rioters in Birmingham were also proven to be wrong, as were rumours of disturbances in the Heath Town district of Wolverhampton, which had witnessed a serious riot in May 1989.

By 10 August, more than 3,000 arrests had been made across England, with more than 1,000 people issued with criminal charges for various offences related to the riots.[13] Initially, courts sat for extended hours. There were a total of 3,443 crimes across London that were linked to the disorder.[14] Along with the five deaths, at least 16 others were injured as a direct result of related violent acts. An estimated £200 million worth of property damage was incurred, and local economic activity – which in many cases was already struggling due to the recession – was significantly compromised.

The riots have generated significant ongoing debate among political, social and academic figures about the causes and context in which they happened. Attributions for the rioters’ behavior include such social factors such as racial tension, class tension, economic decline and the unemployment that it had brought, as well as individual factors like criminality, hooliganism, the breakdown of social morality and the development of gang culture.[1]

Link to You Tube Video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qktOvVNXwc&t=39s

Questions should be answered in an essay which fully covers all of the questions described below. There is no need to list each question, however the Essay should be well written and a minimum of at least three pages for full credit.

A. What were some of the serious issues faced by Police Leaders attempting to quell the disturbance?

Should the Police (Constables) have been allowed to use Deadly force when being attacked?

B. Did this video and interviews help you understand the stress felt by the Men and Women officers involved?

What was the main emotion most officers them displayed?

Give the name of the officer who displayed the most emotion when being recorded and the type of emotion in detail?

C.What is your opinion of the effectiveness of the tactics used by the Constables?

What if anything would you have done differently if you were the Commander in charge at the time of the Riots?