Security issue: Destruction by riots

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 or the riots in Rome in October 2011.

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

Events

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. Examples are the

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

Contributing circumstances

• 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. 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); 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). "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".
• 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" in the spring of 2010.

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