The Sunday media has reports of various senior police chiefs expressing their views on government policy. Irrespective of whether we think government policy on policing, riots or whatever, is right or wrong, we know it is wrong for police to become involved in political debate. This must stop.
Having made that point, it is indeed true that politicians and the socially liberal elements of society have consistently undermined police authority with a combination of laws, regulations, quangos and inspectorates which, whilst demanding that the police uphold the law, remove the responsibility for deciding how to do it from them and even put them into the dock as well, if anything goes wrong. This is a mess to be sorted out.
If these terrible riots have a silver lining, it is to show four things
The police and justice system can be very tough on crime and retribution can be swift and decisive.
The police require a cultural overhaul to restore their authority and re-define their responsibility.
There is at the heart of our economic and social structure an almost medieval bias towards the rich and educated against the poor and the underclass.
The Human Rights Act, the Health and Safety Regulations and the Data Protection Act have done a great deal of good. They have also done a great deal of harm to the maintenance of law and order.
The riots have not shown the nation a way forward. What they have done is show the nation that is has a lot of thinking to do.