Time communities begin to work with youths to stop their shameful displays on Oxford Street and time the justice system supports our police officers.

A shameful display of looting broke out across Oxford Street on Wednesday 9 August as youths descended on the central London road intent to cause anti social behaviour and loot shops following a call on social media.

A heavier police presence was already put in place after officers received news that a call to loot shops on Oxford Street had been placed on tik tok.

A Section 34 Dispersal Order had also been issued to allow officers to disperse and move youths on.

The organised looting took place on sports shops and across other venues as police moved in quickly to stop the looting. Hundreds of teenagers were seen running along Regent Street in a bid to get away from officers.

This is a very challenging summer for our police officers who deal with multiple incidents across the capital on a daily basis and social media posts not only encouraging looting, but also encouraging people to go and commit crime across London. There simply are no words for this.

It really is time communities begin to engage with youths to stop this type of behaviour and work with them. It is also time our justice system begins to support officers instead of repeatedly failing them after all the hard work they do.

Our social media kings and queens are quick to state that these were just youths seen running down the road, knowing full well that this is not the case. These were hundreds of youths that descended on the capital to answer the looting call. The real question here is, instead of commenting on social media-why not actively engage in supporting these youths to prevent them from even considering to join such shameful behaviour?

Our communities need to be working closely with our youth. There are many bereaved parents who have lost their child to knife crime, who are battling everyday in a desperate bid to stop another child dying on the streets of London. There are community based organisations such as ‘Youth Unity’ working across London engaging with our youth to guide them in the right direction. This is where we should be looking to support our youth.

These were not youths out for an afternoon jog across the capital, they were answering the social media call and their behaviour sadly was shameful.

Our youth are growing up in horrendous conditions that include poverty, poor housing, lack of work and a society that is unjust. It is by working as a community that we can all begin to actually start supporting them and helping them find a way forward.

It is also time that our justice system offers some much needed support for police officers who face not only a thankless job, but one that clearly is the hardest out there at the moment. Criticising officers is very easy when you are sat watching as a spectator, but unless you have actually undertaken this role, you do not know what the realities are that our officers face daily. Endless hard work is often let down by judges.

Much work needs to be done and many factors need to be addressed to stop this shameful behaviour that we are witnessing across London, Manchester and Southend.

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