May resists calls for water cannons
By politics.co.uk staff
The home secretary has ruled out the use of water cannons to deal with any further rioting this evening.
Theresa May insisted that consensual policing was the method needed to deal with the disorder.
"The way we police in Britain is not through use of water cannon," she told Sky News.
"The way we police in Britain is through consent of communities. We can deal with it. We can deal with it with robust policing, with good use of intelligence, but also with the help and support of local communities."
Home affairs committee chair Keith Vaz called for police forces to be "given whatever special powers they need to bring this lawlessness to an end urgently".
Liberal Democrat deputy leader Simon Hughes, issuing a statement yesterday evening, backed moves to give police freedom of movement to end the violence.
"The police must now have our support and they must be free to take the action they feel necessary to restore peace in our communities," he said.
"There is just one simple message for young people. Don’t give in to the temptation to trash your own communities – these are the places which we all need for our future jobs, housing and prosperity."
David Cameron confirmed there would be 16,000 police on the streets tonight, as the government frantically tries to respond to the crisis.
