The so-called rioters that have been plaguing the UK’s towns and cities for the last week should feel the full force of the law, thinks Steve Jordan, Editor of The Mover. Here are his thoughts.

By Steve Jordan

Well, as I see it, the gloves are off now with these stupid, so-called rioters that have been plaguing the UK’s towns and cities for the last week.  It’s time to play these children (whatever age they are) at their own game.

I have no idea why these brainless morons are intent on destroying as much of other people’s property as possible in a violent quest to illegally acquire more of their own, but they are.  Ask any of them how they would feel to have their homes burned or their hard-earned property stolen and they would be devastated.  But it’s fine to do it to others.

As Crocodile Dundee said: “It’s only kids having fun.”  But it’s not the kind of fun that is acceptable to grown ups.

The problem is that they do not believe law-abiding people have the ability to do anything to punish them. Violence is out of the question lest we sink to their sub-idiot level.  Fining them is pointless as they probably have no money and wouldn’t pay the fine if they had. Incarceration is impractical.  What’s more, the legal system is so slow and the paperwork police offices have to complete on arrest is so onerous, it just won’t happen on a sufficient scale to be a short-term deterrent.  No, what we need is another approach.  May I suggest the following:

Firstly, the UK government passes emergency legislation allowing hooligans to be uplifted off the streets and placed in holding cells, with the minimum of paperwork (maybe just a wrist band with their name and location of offence) until the police can get around to dealing with them properly.  If their mates carry on causing trouble this could be for some days or weeks.  This would prevent taking the police off the streets while the gangs were still on the streets.

They should then be charged and detained or released in the normal way.  But if they are released the police should confiscate two valuable items from them: their iPods and their mobiles.  If they remain out of trouble for one month they can return to the police station to recover their belongings.  If they are picked up for any civil order offence within the month, the clock is reset.

The full force of the law should fall upon those who commit offences, but this additional sanction would achieve two things:

• It would deprive these little thugs of two prized (most kids would say essential) belongings.

• It would remove these gangs’ command and control network – the first aim of any modern military campaign. These riots are orchestrated using social media networks, take their mobiles away and life becomes much more difficult for them.

Maybe it’s a bit right wing, but I think most of us are fed up with being pushed around by naughty little boys and girls whose parents have failed to teach them the difference between right and wrong.  The British people do not have a history of putting up with this kind of nonsense.  It’s time we stopped putting up with it now.

What do you think?  Have you or your company been affected by these children?  What would you do if a mob gathered around your house or office?  E-mail editor@themover.co.uk.