Difference between revisions of "Security issue: Destruction by riots"

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| Long reaction times or inadequate action of intervention force. || Decreases likelihood of apprehension || Untimely or inappropriate reactions to violence lead to a perception of little control, which will increase perceived risk for the public and decrease perceived risk for the perpetrators. Also, reducing the impact of an assault (by timely intervention) will also be impossible and lead to greater effects of incidents.
  
| Long reaction times or inadequate action of intervention force. || Decreases likelihood of apprehension || Untimely or inappropriate reactions to violence lead to a perception of little control, which will increase perceived risk for the public and decrease perceived risk for the perpetrators. Also, reducing the impact of an assault (by timely intervention) will also be impossible and lead to greater effects of incidents.
 
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| High levels of unemployment || Increases likelihood social unrest ||
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| High levels of unemployment || Increases likelihood of targeting || High levels of unemployment are associated with higher levels of vandalism<ref>Kepple NJ, Freisthler B., ''Exploring the ecological association between crime and medical marijuana dispensaries.'',J Stud Alcohol Drugs. 2012 Jul;73(4):523-30</ref>.
  
 
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| Presence of crowds || Decreases likelihood of apprehension || It has been argued that large crowds cause individuals to act aggressively and without restraint because they confer anonymity<ref>Weatherburn Don, ''Riots, Policing and Social Disadvantage: Learning from the Riots in Macquarie Fields and Redfern'', Current Issues in Criminal Justice Volume 18 Number 1, July 2006</ref>
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| Low levels of ownership || Decreases the inhibitions for committing the crime || Uncertainty of ownership can reduce responsibility and increase the likelihood of crime and anti-social behaviour going unchallenged<ref>Home Office, ''Safer Places. The planning system and crime prevention'', 2004</ref>.
 
 
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Revision as of 16:34, 2 April 2013

Destruction by riots is the act of vandalism of property by organised groups for a shared rational or rationalised reason.

Description

Riots are physical expressions of discontent by large unorganised groups of people, expressed in vandalism, assault and/or pillaging. Although the riot may be unorganised, the reason for these people being there may well be.

Three types of riots can be distinguished by their origin:

Organised protests

Firefighters douse a shop and flats destroyed by arson during the initial rioting in 2011 in Tottenham, London

Sometimes peaceful, organised protests can quickly turn into unorganised and destructive riots. Examples of such events are the 2011 events in Tottenham, London[1] or the riots in Rome in October 2011[2].

In these cases the protest, especially when arousing stormy emotions, can turn into a riot when external circumstances provoke strong and emotional responses.

Events

Riot police managing fans after a 2008 EUFA cup football match in Manchester

Events which arouse strong emotions, especially when aggravated by a strong sense of competition or the use of alcohol, can disinhibit natural restraint and lead to group processes that can lead to excessive violence. The sport of football has a long history of riots associated with it[3].

These kinds of riots are often associated with a group of agitators, known as hooligans, who instigate such violent actions.

Social unrest

A man runs over a fence in front of a van set ablaze by a group of rioters in the 2007 riots in Paris.

Felt social wrongs can build a common frustration that can release itself in sometimes very violent and wide-spread riots. The 2005 Paris civil unrest, which resulted in a three-month declaration of the state of emergency[4].

Contributing circumstances

Known circumstances to influence the likelihood or effect of graffiti, are presented in the table below:

Contributing Circumstance Influence Description
Use of alcohol. Decreases inhibitions
Excitement. Increases likelihood of emotional response.
Previous acts of riot/Tradition of riots (f.e. annual) Increases probability of riots
Long reaction times or inadequate action of intervention force. Decreases likelihood of apprehension Untimely or inappropriate reactions to violence lead to a perception of little control, which will increase perceived risk for the public and decrease perceived risk for the perpetrators. Also, reducing the impact of an assault (by timely intervention) will also be impossible and lead to greater effects of incidents.
High levels of unemployment Increases likelihood social unrest
Presence of crowds Decreases likelihood of apprehension It has been argued that large crowds cause individuals to act aggressively and without restraint because they confer anonymity[5]


  • Alcohol
  • Excitement
  • Previous acts of riot/Tradition of riots (f.e. annual)
  • Competitive atmosphere
  • Provocation
  • Bad socio-economic circumstances (poverty, inequality of income, high unemployment, poor schools, poor healthcare, housing inadequacy, etc.) and lack of economic opportunity
  • Youth (?)
  • Racism/Ethnic/religious causes
  • Lack of community, ownership or connection/identity with the area

Impacts

Social impact

  • Loss of perceived security
  • Increase of likelihood of re-emerging
  • Social effects

Economic impact

Riots lead to considerable costs in both a direct (primary) and a indirect (secondary) way[6]. Direct costs of destruction by riots come in the form of:

  • Preventive costs in anticipation of riots (e.g. security measures, insurance);
  • Material and immaterial costs as a consequence of rioting (e.g. physical damage, repairs, medical costs, mental harm)[7]; and
  • Responsive costs to riots (e.g. the costs of detection and prevention, prosecution, support trial, etc.).

In addition, the secondary economic impact of crime has to be considered:

  • Riots make investors nervous: "Although the Thai stock market has recovered strongly this year, investors saw a 10% drop while the rioting was going on (in 2010)[8]. "Moreover, while Thailand no doubt benefited from its reputation as a peaceful and relatively orderly country, countries with chronic troubles risk getting labelled as "basket cases" and virtually eliminated from serious consideration as investment destinations"[9].
  • Rioting also has a distinct impact on tourism. "China reported that disturbances in Xinjiang in 2009 led almost 85,000 travellers to cancel trips to the area, while Thailand has seen a big drop in tourism since its political troubles turned violent"[10] in the spring of 2010.

Mobility impact

Safety impact

  • Bodily harm
  • Physical damage

Measures

  • Ensure compatibility and balance of land use and activities
  • Ensure controllability of alcohol distribution
  • Provide alternative entertainment
  • Limit possibilities for gathering of crowds (parking capacity?)
  • Provide opportunities for regulation of traffic flow (flexible measure)
  • Provide transportation facilities to and from the event
  • Consider levels of permeability if it would facilitate natural crowd dispersion
  • Establish a clear and controllable perimeter for the gathering
  • Include highly visual clues to strict law enforcement [11]

[12] [13] [14] [15]

Footnotes and references

  1. ↑ see: http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/aug/07/tottenham-riots-peaceful-protest
  2. ↑ see: http://www.italymag.co.uk/italy/riot/peaceful-protest-dissolves-riots-rome
  3. ↑ see: wikipedia:Football hooliganism
  4. ↑ see: wikipedia:2005 civil unrest in France
  5. ↑ Weatherburn Don, Riots, Policing and Social Disadvantage: Learning from the Riots in Macquarie Fields and Redfern, Current Issues in Criminal Justice Volume 18 Number 1, July 2006
  6. ↑ Primary economic impact (or direct effects) are generally defined as the initial, immediate economic output generated by a specific cause (in this case a criminal offence). Secondary economic impact (or indirect effects) are generated each time a subsequent transaction is made, for example, the impact of crime on the real estate value in the neighbourhood.
  7. ↑ For example: In 2005 the civil unrest in France lasted for over three weeks and spread to nearly 300 towns. By the end of the incident, over 10,000 vehicles were destroyed, over 300 buildings burned, 126 police and fire-fighters were injured, and damages were estimated at being well over €200 Million (Source: Wikipedia)
  8. ↑ Investopedia, http://www.investopedia.com/financial-edge/1210/how-riots-influence-an-economy.aspx#axzz2Dd7xpsbL
  9. ↑ Ibid
  10. ↑ http://www.investopedia.com/financial-edge/1210/how-riots-influence-an-economy.aspx#axzz2Dd7xpsbL
  11. ↑ Student Party Riots Guide No.39 (2006) by Tamara D. Madensen & John E. Eck
  12. ↑ Report of the Proceedings prepared by the U.S. Department of Education’s Higher Education Centre for Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse and Violence Prevention with funding from The Network: Addressing Collegiate Alcohol and Other Drug Issues
  13. ↑ Doc. 11685 8 July 2008 Riots in European cities: lessons and Council of Europe response Report Social, Health and Family Affairs Committee Rapporteur: Mr Roland BLUM, France, Group of the European People’s Party
  14. ↑ [Policing and Social Disadvantage: Learning from the Riots in Macquarie Fields and Redfern, Don Weatherburn]
  15. ↑ [Tottenham riots: a peaceful protest, then suddenly all hell broke loose (Guardian)]
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