scum. I'm usually pretty defending against killing people in any uncertain terms, but thugs like these ... give me an uzi and a license to kill and I'll glady finish them off.

I haven't read much about it til now but it sounds like a damn mess.

Gonna shoot 7 year olds?

I understand the need for the officers to retaliate... However, how come the officers couldn't shoot him in the leg, butt, arm, or anywhere else usually non-life threatening.  It is the easiest to aim and hit someone in the mid section.  However, there were probably snipers at the scene which could have easily shot and disabled him in an area of the body that won't kill you.  I've seen snipers shoot suspects hands forcing them to drop weapons or able to hit any area they want to shoot.  I am unaware of the entire situation but I am sure they could have brought the suspect down without killing him.  I suppose if you have 10-15 officers firing their guns at the same time it might be hard to save that person's life.  So instead of a firing squad they could have went a little more tactical.

There are seven year olds? Nah wouldn't shoot children (god, obviously ..), maybe smack them around a bit. JK!

Most of the rioters are people that will never contribuit or become anything worthwhile in life, just make other peoples lives a misery.

the PM is on his way back from his trip and the Mayor is coming back early from his holiday.

Yep. London 2011 is now Los Angeles 1992.

Your Labour is spewing the exact same rhetoric that the Democrats did in 1992 concerning why the riots happened.

We had 53 dead and ~2,000 wounded by the end of the riots, and I swear the video reminds me of stuff from Mad Max. The biggest difference, though, is that our Korean storeowners invoked the 2nd amendment and became their own law enforcement which put down a lot of the looting.

I hope that peace can be made quickly, and the put down these urban idiots that are causing woeful destruction all in the name of a violent criminal being killed.

The best part is that all the rioters are effectively taking away focus from the murder case. Just shows how much those people actually cares...

I'm all in favour of bringing in the army, since the large majority of the Metropolitan Police sit in an office all day and occasionally, when forced, patrol the quietest street they can find and stop every ten minutes for a cup of tea. They would probably start crying if confronted with rioters.

Fire tear gas, blanks, whatever is necessary. The job of the police is to protect law-abiding people, not criminals and rioters.

It was horrible stuff. Watch the videos on Liveleak or YouTube where available. Videos of innocent people being beaten to death, mobs of looters robbing store after store until people are fed up and shoot back. The police ran in many instances. The only way it was under control is they called the military in very quickly. Nothing quells a riot quicker than a man with an M-16 and shoot-to-kill orders.