Cameron: UK will seek ideas from US

Associated Press

LONDON

Prime Minister David Cameron said Thursday that Britain would look to the United States for solutions to gang violence after nights of riots and looting and promised authorities would get strong powers to stop street mayhem from erupting again.

Cameron told lawmakers that authorities “are acting decisively to restore order on our streets,” as police raided houses to round up suspects from four nights of unrest in London and other English cities.

Steve Kavanagh, the deputy assistant commissioner of London’s Metropolitan Police, admitted the force initially did not deploy enough officers to control the outbreak of violence, saying “it is clear we did not have enough numbers on duty to deal.”

Cameron also acknowledged that police had been overwhelmed by mobile groups of looters in the first nights of the rioting and said authorities were considering new powers, including allowing police to order thugs to remove masks or hoods, evicting troublemakers from subsidized housing and temporarily disabling cellphone instant-messaging services.

He said the 16,000 police deployed on London’s streets to deter rioters and reassure residents would remain through the weekend.

“We will not let a violent few beat us,” Cameron said.

Lawmakers were summoned back from their summer vacations for an emergency session of Parliament on the riots as government and police worked to regain control, both on the streets and in the court of public opinion. Calm prevailed in London overnight, with a highly visible police presence watching over the capital, but a sense of nervousness lingered across the country.

During a session lasting almost three hours in which he faced 160 questions from lawmakers, Cameron promised tough measures to stop further violence and said “nothing should be off the table.” He said that included water cannon and plastic bullets — though senior police have said they don’t feel the need to use those at the moment.

Though Britain’s streets were clear of looters for a second night in a row, the toll of the riots continued to climb. A 68-year-old man who was attacked during rioting in west London as he tried to put out a fire died late Thursday, police said in a statement.