(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - Buildings and cars were set on fire on Saturday night as police officers clashed with hundreds of angry protesters. The scenes were some of the worst rioting on British territory for many years.
Mark Duggan was apparently in the back of a minicab on Thursday evening when officers from the Specialist Firearms Command reportedly tried to arrest him. Shots were reportedly fired and it’s believed that armed officers fired two shots. One of the officers had a lucky escape when a bullet, allegedly fired by Duggan, lodged in a police radio instead of entering the officer’s chest.
The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) has issued a statement on the fatal shooting of Mark Duggan and has appealed for witnesses to come forward and say what they saw. The IPCC statement came as police seemed to have got the situation in Tottenham back under control, at least for now. But the factors that led to the riot have not been dealt with, and seem unlikely to be dealt with fully unless the police take a fundamentally different approach to engaging with communities in Britain.
Clearly the Tottenham riots are about more than just the Mark Duggan death. They are about a breakdown of the relationship between police and a significant part of the community in this part of North London. Lately, it seems that Britain’s police believe they can keep law and order solely through force. But there was a time, not so long ago, when the police recognised the need to inspire trust and confidence.
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