A protest over the police shooting of 29-year-old Mark Duggan last August in Tottenham, north London, sparked five days of rioting and looting in English cities, involving 15,000 people. Subsequent analysis revealed that rioters came from all ages and backgrounds, although three-quarters of those brought before the courts were aged 24 or under.
Moreover, two-thirds of children in court had special educational needs. They were also more likely to live in low income areas, be receiving free school meals and have been excluded from school at least once.
Among a raft of measures, the independent Riots, Communities and Victims Panel called for the government’s “troubled families” programme to be extended from 120,000 to 500,000 families and urged public services to fund a “youth job promise” scheme to secure jobs for those who have been out of work for a year.
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