US security consultant to advise UK on gang violence

Associated Press

LONDON

Prime Minister David Cameron’s office says former New York Police Commissioner William Bratton has agreed to act as an unpaid adviser to the British government.

Downing Street says Cameron thanked Bratton for agreeing to a series of meetings in the U.K. this fall to share his experiences tackling gang violence. Bratton will provide counsel “in a personal capacity,” it said in a statement.

Bratton also has served as police chief in Los Angeles and Boston and has built a reputation for helping quell gang influence. He is now a private security-firm executive.

Cameron told British lawmakers this week that he would welcome Bratton’s input after a flurry of criticism over police response to rioting in London last week.

More than 1,700 people have been arrested after a week of violence in London and other British cities that was triggered by a fatal police shooting under disputed circumstances.