News story

Fightback after the riots

Prime Minister David Cameron has called for a review of Government policies following last week's riots, to ensure they are bold enough to fix a "broken society".

This was published under the 2010 to 2015 Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition government

Mr Cameron said he would speed up plans to deal with anti-social behaviour and improve parenting and education.

He said the riots had been a ”wake-up call for our country” and any security fightback must be matched by a social fightback.

Social problems that have been festering for decades have exploded in our face..

Now, just as people wanted criminals robustly confronted on our street, so they want to see these problems taken on and defeated.

Our security fightback must be matched by a social fightback. We must fight back against the attitudes and assumptions that have brought parts of our society to this shocking state.

Over the next few weeks, the Coalition Government will be reviewing all policies and programmes to consider whether they are bold enough to deliver the changes needed to mend society.

The PM also said there would be a stronger police presence on the streets as part of the “security fightback”. And he said the police would be cutting the burden of bureaucracy which until now has meant officers spending the majority of their time filling in forms and stuck behind desks.

As part of the social fightback, the PM announced that more emphasis will be placed on families and parenting with a ”family test” applied to all domestic policy.

If it hurts families, if it undermines commitment, if it tramples over the values that keeps people together, or stops families from being together, then we shouldn’t do it.

More than that, we’ve got to get out there and make a positive difference to the way families work, the way people bring up their children…

Mr Cameron also pledged action to “turn around the lives” of the 120,000 most troubled families in the country by the next general election.

The Government will be extending its programme of National Citizen Service, working with businesses, charities, schools and social enterprises, so that it is available to all sixteen year olds.

External site: PM’s speech on the fightback after the riots

Published 15 August 2011