English riots were 'a sort of revenge' against the police
Rioters interviewed for our study say they sought retribution
for what they saw as police abuse of power in their communities
Police clash with youths in Brixton, south London Police clash
with youths in Brixton, south London, during the riots. Policing
was viewed as an 'important factor' in why the riots happened.
Photograph: Lewis Whyld/PA  "The police is the biggest gang out
there." This view of the police, or variations of it, emerged
frequently in 270 interviews of people who took part in August's
riots across cities in England.  Of those participants
questioned for the Reading the Riots study, a Guardian/London
School of Economics project, 85% said policing was an
"important" or "very important" factor in why the riots
happened.  Again and again, rioters from different parts of the
country described the police as a "gang", claiming its officers
enforced a law they themselves played fast and loose with.
Complaints included claims of being beaten