Sikh social worker to head inquiry into London riots
Source: hindu
A well-known Sikh social worker Darra Singh is to head a
four-member panel appointed to inquire into the riots that shook London
and other British cities earlier this month causing several deaths and
damage to property worth millions of pounds.
Bradford-born Darra Singh, currently chief executive of the government employment agency JobCentre Plus, is expected to bring his extensive experience of working with young people to his assignment.
The
panel will examine the causes of the seemingly unprovoked violence and
recommend measures to prevent such incidents in future.
Liberal
Democrat leader and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said it would be a
“grassroots review” of what led to Britain’s worst rioting in nearly
three decades.
“We want to know what happened at
street level, not from afar and only from the perspective of those
affected. Having worked with young people, and on housing and violence
issues in a range of cities around the country, including London, Darra
will be able to lead the panel and delve into this gloomy chapter of
Britain’s history,” he said.
Labour leader Ed
Miliband, who has blamed government policies for the riots, said the
inquiry must look at “the deeper causes of the criminal behaviour”.
“The
temptation for politicians is to reach for simplistic solutions to the
issues we face as a society,” he said adding, “That would be a
dereliction of duty to the vast majority of law-abiding people in those
communities. After going out and understanding the point of view of
those on the ground, the task of this commission is to make
recommendations which can help tackle the complex causes of what we
saw.”
The riots, which were sparked by the death of
an Afro-Caribbean youth in a police shoot-out in the north London suburb
of Tottenham, quickly spread to other areas London and then to several
cities.
The inquiry was announced as an 11-year-old
boy became the youngest rioter to be prosecuted. He was given an
18-month youth rehabilitation order for stealing a £50 bin during the
recent riots prompting criticism of the sweeping prosecution of young
boys and girls for often minor offences.
Children’s charity Barnardo’s said punishing children of this age was “counterproductive”.
“The
evidence shows that after a year, half of boys and girls at this age
who are sentenced in court will have re-offended and their experience
within the criminal justice system increases the likelihood that they
will go on to commit further crimes,” said its chief executive Anne
Marie Carrie urging the Government to invest in “more effective ways to
stop youth crime, such as whole-family approaches like family
intervention projects”.
More than 2,000 people have
been arrested in connection with riots; and of the 1,000-odd who have
been charged 263 are juvenile.
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