The British Authorities are gradually regaining control over the situation after riots erupted last Saturday in a London neighborhood. The rampaging groups of young people have inflicted serious damage on a number of the UK capital’s boroughs. The police have already arrested more than 750 people in London and over 500 in other cities, where the crowds of mostly young people had been smashing and looting shops, and setting fire to cars and stores.
It is only the beginning in restoring law and order on British city streets. As British Prime Minister David Cameron said yesterday after a meeting of the COBRA emergency committee, the London police will be Authorized to resort to tougher riot control measures, including the use of water cannon. “At COBRA this morning we agreed full contingency planning is going ahead. Whatever resources the police need they will get. Whatever tactics the police feel they need to employ they will have legal backing to do so. We will do whatever is necessary to restore law and order onto our streets. Every contingency is being looked at. The police are already Authorised to use baton rounds and… while they’re not currently needed we now have in place contingency plans for water cannon to be available at 24 hours’ notice,” the British premier said.
Meanwhile, in the UK itself and in other countries analysts and experts are looking onto what caused the riots and mass-scale looting in the capital which is a showcase of capitalism. British psychologists opine that, while in a mob, an individual loses their moral principles, and the feelings of guilt and compassion, i.e., the ones that, under normal conditions, keep us from antisocial behavior, become weakened and blurred.
“Morality is inversely proportional to the number of observers. When you have a large group that’s relatively anonymous, you can essentially do anything you like,” says James Thompson, Professor Emeritus of Psychology at London’s University College. Speaking of the present-day specifics of riots, the expert pointed out the impact of social networking sites and cell phones which often speed up a revolt. “These ‘tactical devices’ give riots a new look, allowing rioters to organize in real time the movement of small mobile groups, attacks, and retreat. It is already a thing of the past, when 400 policemen and thugs are confronting one another. The law-enforcement bodies must adapt to this,” he said.
Obviously, the British Authorities have quickly made conclusions from the protests that had begun in the capital. It still remains to be seen how effective and lasting the Cameron government’s mea-sures will be.
Naturally, this kind of problems — mass-scale protests and looting – can also emerge in other societies – be they capitalist or ones with a transitional economy. Therefore it is important for a society to be able to respond to these challenges. Clearly, mature democracies know how to find ways to solve these problems. And, undoubtedly, Ukraine should draw a conclusion from how the Western countries resolve this kind of problems. For it is common knowledge that it is better to forestall a problem than to solve it afterwards.
