Mixed profiles of UK rioters defy stereotype

The prime minister was told by senior officers that the level of burglaries,robberies and muggings across London has been lower than usual as offenders switched to looting and arson. Some of the riots have been co- ordinated by criminal gangs,the police believe.

The crime figures for the period have not been published,but a Met spokesman said: “We have said consistently that the people doing this are not protesters,they are criminals.”

That narrative was echoed by Hazel Blears,Labour MP for Salford,who said that many of the rioters in her neighbourhood were already known to the police as troublemakers. “There were a number of BMWs and Audis and that type of car circling around the estates,waiting to pick up stolen goods,” she said.

Peter Fahy,chief constable of Greater Manchester,said the rioters in Salford were shoplifters and burglars looking to “get back” at police after a clampdown.

Yet this depiction belies evidence that many of those taking part have no criminal background. Nor do they all fit the picture — portrayed by several left-wing politicians — of an underclass driven to looting by economic despair.

Those charged have ranged from 15-year-old children to a 31-year-old primary school worker and a 43-year-old chef. Jaspal Singh,a resident of Southall,west London,said children as young as 12 were involved in the attacks on Ealing: “They were black,white,Indian,but they were organised,” he said.

Chris Bond,a Labour councillor in Enfield,said the oldest person arrested in his borough was 64: “He had a carving knife in his pocket. Whether he was taking it home to do a Sunday roast I’ve no idea.”

A few rioters have sought to articulate grievances — citing police stop-and-searches or the abolition of the educational maintenance allowance.

Leo King-Say,21,a youth worker in Toxteth,said there were genuine concerns. “The vibe is against the police and government and society that keeps them in poverty,” he said.

But many have not tried to justify their behaviour as they broke windows and stole consumer goods such as trainers,bicycles and electronic items. “It wasn’t anger I saw,it was more like they thought it was all a big game,” said Mr Bond.

A race relations expert who witnessed the riots in Camden this week said he had seen looting of phone shops by about 80 teenagers who were not “downtrodden” or desperate for food.

“When I asked one boy what he was doing he shrugged his shoulders and said,‘I dunno’. This isn’t about alienation or about racist police,” he said. “This is purely acquisitive — it’s not social and economic but moral and cultural and that’s why it’s become so difficult and so dangerous.”

This is the view of Kay Nooney,a forensic psychologist: “There is no higher purpose,you just have a high volume of people with a history of impulsive behaviour having a giant adventure.”

There have been specific elements to different riots. The Tottenham action was inspired by the death of a man,while violence in Birmingham was exacerbated by tensions between black and Asian locals. However,Chuka Umunna,MP for Streatham,warned against assuming rioters were mainly ethnic minorities. Rob Berkeley,a director of the Runnymede Trust,a race equality think-tank,said the rioters appeared not to know or care about the consequences. “We have to admit this is a new phenomenon about which we know very little,” he said.

© 2011 The Financial Times Limited