‘Cunning plan’ to tackle riots

LONDON police developed a ‘cunning plan’ to deal with last year’s student protests which led to the worst riots in the capital for decades and an attack on Prince Charles’s car, the BBC reported.

In a briefing paper, titled Students’ Action 8/9th December 2010, a senior unnamed officer wrote police needed to respond “quickly and effectively” to any outbreaks of trouble.

“To do this, we have developed a cunning plan: the essence of which is flexibility,” said the paper, according to the BBC which obtained a copy under the Freedom of Information Act.

The phrase echoed that often used by the character Baldrick from the TV comedy series Blackadder.

London police and its chief, Paul Stephenson, came in for heavy criticism in the wake of the riots, as demonstrators were able to avoid police and spread out across the city, some attacking government buildings and shops.

Some protesters were able to surround the limousine of Charles, kick its doors, crack a window and reportedly jab his wife Camilla with a stick.