Vocal Voices

It happened about 1km from where I was brought up, next to Harehills Park.

The area of the riot is mainly terraced streets and a major ethnic and Moslem area. Those of us who know the area have seen it develop into a powder keg over the years so it was not really a surprise.

It's a gang and drugs area and the police treat it with a light touch. There are certainly no foot patrols, mainly vans with screens over the windows. Surprisingly there are quite a few high powered cars about - Audis, BMWs, Lexus - and we all know how they are funded.

I hope it all calms down, and quickly. Tonight and the weekend will be a big test.

Look North will be in tears. Still, never mind.

I thought this used to be a big West indian area back in the day? But it's obviously changed now.
Attacking a police car, building fires in the street, setting fire to a bus - this is just like the banlieus of Paris, and it's the same type of person doing the rioting.

That's the trouble with the "light touch" approach; people start to get entitled, and to look down on the forces of law and order. Cringeing in front of people does not got you any respect.

Call me a wet old liberal but I would send the army in. Give a warning first that there is going to be no messing about, or else, and then see what happens.

In reality I suppose what would happen is that the Uman Rights lawyers would be lining up for a payday.

Cromwell, Chapeltown is the W. Indian / black area. It is next door to Harehills, over Roundhay Road, but they are worlds apart. The black population is stable and is a lot more integrated.

It is the growing Moslem Asian populations in Harehills and Beeston in south Leeds where the problems lie. They do not want to integrate, if anything, they want to go the other way.

I totally agree with you about the light touch Cromwell. It's the police service nowadays not the police force - we mustn't offend by our use of language.

I can see why these young hooligans feel entitled. Police not coming when they are called to a house burglery, they don't come for shoplifting of less than £200, there is no visible presence on the streets, and no police stations for miles, and so on. The police dance at carnivals and they take the knee. What's not to like. And now we are told that the prisons are too full to take any more prisoners.

In Germany they use water canons with CS tablets dissolved in the water.

Rioters get a first person experience of CS and tend to try and avoid that again. It's not very pleasant but I can suffer it if I have to. We were trained on that in the Army back then because they used CS in NI. In fact you couldn't complete basic training without doing your test in the gas chamber then taking your mask off, getting a good whiff and then leaving.

CS is excellent for rioters. Non harmful but extremely unpleasant and panic inducing in those who have no experience with it.

Of course to use it in the UK I guess you'd have to ask for the 45 pages signed and say pretty please.