Despite riots, Britain remains 'committed' to police cuts

Britain’s Finance Minister George Osborne said on Saturday that the government is determined to press on with plans to cut about 30,000 police jobs, which came under fire after police proved unable to deal with last week's riots.

By News Wires (text)

REUTERS - Britain’s Finance Minister George Osborne said on Saturday the country must tackle its "deep-seated" social problems after riots spread across the country last week, but said it would stick to its plan to reduce police numbers.

He said some communities had been left behind by the rest of the country and it was up to society and the government to re-engage with those groups who felt isolated and to make sure they know the difference between right and wrong.

IN PICTURES: BIRMINGHAM MOURNS RIOT VICTIMS

Family members are reminded of their loss every time they walk past the spot where Haroon Jahan, Shazad Ali, and Abdul Musavir were knocked down and killed by a hit-and-run driver during the Birmingham riots early Wednesday. © Mehdi Chebil/ FRANCE 24.

The three men were killed as they protected the petrol station in the Winston Green area where they worked. In this picture, workers can be seen fixing the petrol station shop windows. © Mehdi Chebil/ FRANCE 24.

The family of one of the victims lives in a modest house just around the corner from the petrol station. © Mehdi Chebil/ FRANCE 24.

Pictures of the three men posted on lamppost at an impromptu street memorial. © Mehdi Chebil/ FRANCE 24.

A man brings flowers to the memorial. Eye witnesses reported that the hit-and-run driver was black, sparking fears of racial retribution. © Mehdi Chebil/ FRANCE 24.

Close-up of a message left at the memorial. © Mehdi Chebil/ FRANCE 24.

A woman brings flowers to the memorial. Outrage at the killing has been felt across all communities. © Mehdi Chebil/ FRANCE 24.

British youths join Friday prayers at a mosque located just 200 metres from where Haroon Jahan, Shazad Ali, and Abdul Musavir were killed. © Mehdi Chebil/ FRANCE 24.

Community and religious leaders took the opportunity to urge them to not seek retribution against the black community. © Mehdi Chebil/ FRANCE 24.

Listening to the religious leaders' sermon during Friday prayers. © Mehdi Chebil/ FRANCE 24.

Muslims leaving the mosque (which is still under construction) after Friday prayers. Although the Winston Green neighbourhood is largely Pakistani, there are also several black people who worship at the mosque. © Mehdi Chebil/ FRANCE 24.

Birmingham police were out in force in Winston Green as authorities feared that Friday prayers could degenerate into violence. © Mehdi Chebil/ FRANCE 24.

Dozens of worshippers then walked to the impromptu memorial to pray for the dead. In this picture, the father of one of the slain, Tariq Jahan (striped polo shirt, white hair) can be seen joining the mourners. © Mehdi Chebil/ FRANCE 24.

Tariq Jahan took part in a brief prayer before going home. The night before, he called for calm and urged communities to be united. © Mehdi Chebil/ FRANCE 24.

Devastated friends and family members joined the prayer. © Mehdi Chebil/ FRANCE 24.

Police are still deployed in force in the Winston Green area to prevent further disturbances. © Mehdi Chebil/ FRANCE 24.

“There are very deep-seated social problems which we need to tackle,” he told BBC radio.

“There are communities that have just been left behind by the rest of the country. There are communities that are cut-off from the economic life-blood of the rest of the country.”

The government has been criticised by some for going ahead with planned police budget cuts at a time when the nation watched with dismay as police often appeared helpless in the face of hundreds of youths looting shops and setting fire to businesses and homes during four days of riots.

But Osborne, who has pledged severe public spending cuts to deal with a record budget deficit, said the problems could not only be solved by throwing money at them.

He said the government remained committed to its plan which will take two billion pounds out of the police budget, meaning a loss of about 30,000 jobs.

“We are committed, as the Home Secretary (interior minister) and the prime minister and I have made it clear this week, to the plan we’ve set out for police reform,” he said.

He said it was not an issue of numbers, but “improving the presence of the police in our communities, making the police more visible.”

The government stung by criticism of its handling of the riots has enlisted U.S. street crime expert William Bratton to advise it on the handling of gang violence, one of the factors blamed for the disturbances.

“We want to use the advice of people like Bill Bratton to really tackle some of the deep-seated social issues like gang culture in our community,” Osborne said.

“But this is not just about police budgets, this about a far bigger challenge for our society which is dealing with people who we have ignored for too long and helping them feel they have a stake in society, feel that they know the difference between right and wrong, understand their responsibilities to other communities, not just their rights, and that is the challenge for the government going forward.”

He said the British economy continued to face "pretty strong" headwinds, buffeted by factors such as high oil prices, the U.S. slow down and instability in the eurozone, but said the country’s budget deficit plan was making Britain a safe haven for investors.

ANALYSIS

Britain's burning: what's behind the riots?

“At the moment the concern is that growth in all western countries is not going to be as strong as people had hoped and expected even a few months ago, and we are seeing that in the falls of the stock markets,” he said.

“So there is a sort of rebasing of global assumptions about the economy. In this context there has been something of a flight to safety. One of those safe harbours has been British government bonds, gilts.”

He said tax revenues and spending programmes were broadly on track.

Osborne also said the eurozone would see greater fiscal integration.

“Traditionally Britain... has resisted that happening because we have been concerned about a loss of influence in Europe if it did happen,” he said.

“I think we have to accept that fiscal integration is going to happen, it’s in our national economic interests as a country that it does happen because an unstable euro is very bad news for us...”