In late November 2011 the preliminary report on the 2011 riots prepared by the Riots, Communities and Victims Panel argued that the initial reluctance by the police to intervene in disturbances in north London led to further ‘copy-cat’ events across England. The panel concluded that ‘Rioters believed that they would be able to loot and damage without being challenged by the police. In the hardest hit areas they were correct.’
The panel found no single cause for the riots but expressed shock at the ‘collective pessimism’ conveyed by the young people it spoke to in the areas concerned. It warned that such disturbances could happen again if action was not taken — but what action remains more difficult to pin down.
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