LONDON, Dec. 7 (UPI) -- A former head of London's Metropolitan Police predicted Tuesday that high unemployment among young people in Britain will fuel more riots.
John Stevens, who now sits in the House of Lords as Baron Stevens of Kirkwhelpington, also faulted the police response to last summer's riots, The Guardian reported. He said the first outbreak of violence in Tottenham, which followed a police shooting, was predictable and police were always "acting a day behind."
Stevens, who has no party affiliation, was selected to head a Labor Party inquiry into the riots.
The riots spread quickly to other London neighborhoods and to other cities. The government response was to arrest hundreds of people, who were tried quickly and often received months-long sentences.
"Looking ahead into the crystal ball, I think you can see there is disquiet on the streets," Stevens said. "I'm really concerned about youth unemployment, and unemployment generally, I'm really concerned about signs of increasing crime. My gut feeling and beyond, is that it's going to be a very difficult 18 months [to] two years. I hope that I'm wrong, but I don't think I am."
