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Riot report reveals '500,000 forgotten families' | Riot report reveals '500,000 forgotten families' |
(about 2 hours later) | |
A lack of support and opportunity for young people contributed to the outbreak of riots in England last summer, an independent report says. | A lack of support and opportunity for young people contributed to the outbreak of riots in England last summer, an independent report says. |
The Riots, Communities and Victims Panel, set up last year, highlights "500,000 forgotten families". | The Riots, Communities and Victims Panel, set up last year, highlights "500,000 forgotten families". |
Poor parenting, an inability to prevent reoffending, and a lack of confidence in the police were also cited. | |
Schools which fail to teach pupils to read and write should be fined, it said. | |
The report is just one of several investigating the causes of the riots - which spread after the death of Mark Duggan in Tottenham on 4 August. | |
The panel published href="http://www.5daysinaugust.co.uk/" title="http://www.5daysinaugust.co.uk/" >its interim report last November which said the initial riots had been triggered by the police's handling of Mr Duggan's death. | |
This second stage of the report was due to be published on Wednesday, but was leaked early. | |
'Poor parenting' | 'Poor parenting' |
It said: "Families aren't getting the support they need." | It said: "Families aren't getting the support they need." |
It supported an existing programme to help troubled families, but found overlap with those involved in the riots was limited. | |
Last summer's days of disturbances followed a fatal shooting by police in London. | Last summer's days of disturbances followed a fatal shooting by police in London. |
But the trouble spread to several other parts of England and this report says the roots of the riots lie in problems shared between those cities. | But the trouble spread to several other parts of England and this report says the roots of the riots lie in problems shared between those cities. |
There are young people on the streets of Salford, Manchester, Birmingham and beyond who will all tell you that unemployment is a trap they can't escape. | There are young people on the streets of Salford, Manchester, Birmingham and beyond who will all tell you that unemployment is a trap they can't escape. |
However, there are people in those neighbourhoods who insist that those same young people aren't doing enough to help themselves. | However, there are people in those neighbourhoods who insist that those same young people aren't doing enough to help themselves. |
The owner of a Manchester shop badly damaged in the riots pointed to the long criminal records of many convicted of involvement in the rioting. | The owner of a Manchester shop badly damaged in the riots pointed to the long criminal records of many convicted of involvement in the rioting. |
"Crime is their job," he told me. | "Crime is their job," he told me. |
He pointed at long sentences being the best deterrent, although he accepted finding ways of properly rehabilitating those involved was important. | He pointed at long sentences being the best deterrent, although he accepted finding ways of properly rehabilitating those involved was important. |
However, practically helping families to leave what the panel calls 'the bottom of society' will take a great deal of work and resources from public services already facing cuts. | However, practically helping families to leave what the panel calls 'the bottom of society' will take a great deal of work and resources from public services already facing cuts. |
"Government and local public services should develop a strategy incorporating the principles of the Troubled Families Programme to help 500,000 'forgotten families' turn their lives around," it said. | "Government and local public services should develop a strategy incorporating the principles of the Troubled Families Programme to help 500,000 'forgotten families' turn their lives around," it said. |
Up to 15,000 people were believed to have taken part in the riots - with the majority of those aged under 24 and with poor academic records, the report said. | |
The communities the panel spoke to blamed the riots on poor parenting. | The communities the panel spoke to blamed the riots on poor parenting. |
The panel's chairman Darra Singh said: "We must give everyone a stake in society. There are people 'bumping along the bottom', unable to change their lives. When people don't feel they have a reason to stay out of trouble, the consequences for communities can be devastating. | |
"The causes of the riots were complex and there is not one thing that will prevent them from happening again." | |
The report called for the criminal justice system to not only punish those who committed offences but also to make sure they do not do it again. | |
The panel has recommended that schools which fail to raise pupils' literacy rates to the required minimum standard for their age should face a financial penalty. | The panel has recommended that schools which fail to raise pupils' literacy rates to the required minimum standard for their age should face a financial penalty. |
Its other recommendations include: | Its other recommendations include: |
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It also urged the government to play a bigger role and "provide a job guarantee for all young people who have been out of work for two years or more". | It also urged the government to play a bigger role and "provide a job guarantee for all young people who have been out of work for two years or more". |
The Met Police were urged to be more transparent about how and why they use their stop and search powers. | |
The panel said: "In our view, by improving the quality of minor encounters, the Met can dramatically improve their relationships with communities." | |
Still painful | Still painful |
The panel said it had surveyed local neighbourhoods in London, Manchester, Birmingham, Newcastle and Luton and found 85% of those questioned felt "advertising puts pressure on young people to own the latest products". | The panel said it had surveyed local neighbourhoods in London, Manchester, Birmingham, Newcastle and Luton and found 85% of those questioned felt "advertising puts pressure on young people to own the latest products". |
The survey also suggested that one in four people who had recent contact with police were unhappy about how they had been treated. | |
A spokesman for the Department for Communities and Local Government said: "We do not comment on leaked documents." | A spokesman for the Department for Communities and Local Government said: "We do not comment on leaked documents." |
David Lammy, Labour MP for Tottenham said the report's focus on the role of schools was "a bit unfair" but he needed to examine the whole report. | |
"Of course there are issues in our schools, but it is so easy when things go wrong to point to a big institution and say the schools should do more. | "Of course there are issues in our schools, but it is so easy when things go wrong to point to a big institution and say the schools should do more. |
"I would place more emphasis on family life, on parents and on community." | "I would place more emphasis on family life, on parents and on community." |
The shadow higher education minister also stressed a significant proportion of those rioting were not school age. | |
"They were adults, they were men, they were people into their 30s and 40s who did not feel they had a sufficient stake in society and were certainly prepared to stick two fingers up at society as a whole." | "They were adults, they were men, they were people into their 30s and 40s who did not feel they had a sufficient stake in society and were certainly prepared to stick two fingers up at society as a whole." |
Children's Society policy director Enver Solomon said he was not surprised: "We know from our work that there is a significant link between a child's material deprivation and their overall life satisfaction." | |
Panel chairman Darra Singh said he was unhappy the report was leaked: "We are disappointed that Sky News has leaked contents from a near-final version of the Riots Communities and Victims Panel's final report, which is due to be published tomorrow and is still being finalised. | |
"Our remit was to give a voice to the communities and victims of the August riots. This leak has impacted on our ability to ensure they receive the widest possible audience," he said. | "Our remit was to give a voice to the communities and victims of the August riots. This leak has impacted on our ability to ensure they receive the widest possible audience," he said. |