British public lacked faith in riot police, report finds

Lack of confidence in the police response to the initial riots in London led to further disturbances across the country, an independent report has found.

The vast majority of people interviewed for a study of the causes of the disorder said they believed the "sole trigger" for disturbances in their areas was the perception that the police "could not contain" the scale of rioting in Tottenham, north London, and then across the British capital in August.