long answer questions 4 marks Flashcards
Identify 4 practical problems police officers encountered when attempting to police the rioters.
The following 4 practical problems were identified in the film:
Organising sufficient numbers of public order officers to
the scenes;
2. Insufficient equipment for the officers;
3. Dealing with the speed at which the incidents escalated;
Responding to the rapid movement of groups.
What long term police tactic was argued by some tonne linked to this anger and resentment
The police tactic stop and search was readily used by he police during the London riots in 2011 and was argued to be one of the most hated aspects of the whole event. In the bbc documentary the riots in our own words the source of the rioters anger and resentment from this controversial police tactic.
Interviewees in this documentary claimed that the police were humiliating them and treating them in a degrading way, they were stopped and strip searched and often hand cuffed, others claim they were also verbally abused at this point also. This is an unfair and undignified treatment produced by the police and left the majority of the rioters feeling they had been exposed to unacceptable circumstances.
Strain theory
One criminological theory that could be used to explain the riots is meeting anomie and strain theory
His theory claims that society puts pressure on individuals to achieve goals, they do this via institutionalised means. However many individuals lack these means and it becomes very difficult to manage a critical mass of strain - therefore to substitute this strain these individuals resort to crime and criminal activities . The riots weee likely to occur in communities that little to no access to opperthnities to achieve their goals - the guardian report suggested that the majority of rioters came from an under privaliged background and a substantial 85% of the interviewees claimed that the main cause of the riots was poverty. Individuals who are unable to achieve success also do not have the institutionalised means which aid their success- it was found that 75% of theindividuals who took part in the riots were unemployed, this could be linked to the fact they achieved no qualifications- Thus acting as the means so allow them to achieve professions.
