You'd have thought that after a couple of months it would have sunk through even the thickest scull, we didn't have water canon available to mainland forces at the time and even now they are only available at something like 24 hours notice.

The fact he suggestd their use would suggest he considers they should be available

The fact that they weren't available and have never been available kinda negates that.

Is that so? rlhttp://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201012/cmselect/cmhaff/1456/1456vw.pdfrl

32. The senior police officers we spoke to made it clear that the power to use equipment
such as water cannon and baton rounds was available, but such equipment was not used
because it was not considered suitable in the type of situations that they encountered.

Yes, it was available, but they chose not to use it.

As for inflaming the situation, well they shouldn't have been rioting in the first place.

In words so simple even you can understand, the power to use something doesn't make it available for use, if you can show me where, on the mainland, water canon were based and able to be used you might have some argument.

This isn't about whether they were located in mainland britain, this is the fact that if the police had wanted to, they were available to have been sent across from Northern Ireland to be used. Therefore they were available to the police to get and use, or is that too simple for you to understand? The riots weren't just a one night showing.

"Hang on you rioting chaps, can you come back in 24-48 hours so we can sort out the water canon, see its in Northern Ireland at the moment and we need time to get them here"

Yup, I'm sure that would have worked...

funnily enough, the rioters did do that.

With 24 hours notice the old bill were able to put enough bodies on the ground that they could contain and end the riots, the reason the riots spread was it seemed like they'd lost control, it wasn't because they didn't have water canon or baton rounds to hand.

Whereupon all the other cities and towns suffered because their coppers were saving London

If they had had wc and br to hand then they might not have lost control in the first place

Erm, no. No they didn't



If it had been a riot like the student riots earlier in the year then aye, you'd be right. I seriously doubt (as do many chief constables) that those tactics could have coped with small groups, coming together for 10-15 minutes of mayhem and vanishing again.

I'm sure it was reported on the local news that Police from surrounding counties had been brought into London.

edit

Yes, thought i hadn't imagined it
1.Thames Valley
2.Essex
3.Kent
4.Surrey
5.City of London.



re-edit

Apparently in later editions it went up to 12 outside police forces being drafted in to help

So the lack of officers in Manchester was nothing to do with the van loads that went down to the smoke on the second night?

Quite often it is the threat of what is available that prevents crimes being committed

Manchester police didn't go to London.

Not what i was told, but they might have been wrong, however it was the head of the GMP on the radio disscussing it the day after , I'll bow to your superior knowledge though