Coping with disorder? the changing relationship between police public order strategy and practice—a critical analysis of the Burnley Riot

Abstract

This article identifies significant recent public order policing strategy change on the part of the public police—first, in recognition of the dynamic relationship between disorder and policing, and second, concerning a more flexible conceptualization of the traditional “riot curve”. This would potentially move the policing of social disorder away from a situation of what Wright refers to in Policing: An Introduction to Concepts and Practice (2002) as “simply coping” with conflict towards one of “managing” it, being part of the process of transition for policing generally from modern to late‐modern. For a fundamental shift to occur in the public order policing arena though, such policies would need to be carried through in practice. Our critical analysis and “recontextualization” of a riot that took place in Burnley in 2001 suggests that in this instance, at least, this has not (yet) taken place.

Keywords:

• Riots
• Public order
• Policing change
• Strategy and tactics
• Burnley

Notes

Dr Mike King is Assistant Director/Lecturer at the Scarman Centre, University of Leicester, UK. Dr David Waddington is Reader/Principal Lecturer at the School of Cultural Studies, Sheffield Hallam University, UK. Correspondence to: Dr Mike King, Assistant Director/Lecturer, Scarman Centre, University of Leicester, The Friars, 154 Upper New Walk, Leicester LE1 7QA, UK. E‐mail: [email protected]

We employ the concept of “late‐modern” as opposed to “post‐modern” and so on, in line with Wright (2002) and Johnston (2000).

This is not to deny other instances of police management of potential public disorder in the past.

For convenience we refer to “youths” throughout, but in reality while these groups consisted primarily of young people, they were also composed of a minority of older participants.

In the more recent Burnley Local Authority by‐elections (May 2003) the BNP polled 30 per cent of the vote, gaining 5 seats and thereby increasing their number of councillors to 8—compared to the Labour Party having an overall majority with 24 councillors. It should be noted, however, that the local elections constituted only one‐third of the Council. The 15 applicable wards represented 16 seats on the Council, for which the Labour Party fielded 16 candidates and the BNP 13, polling 8,784 and 8,545 votes, respectively (see www.burnley.gov.uk/council/elections/results2003/results.htm (accessed 30 May 2003); The Guardian, 2 May 2003).

This can also to some extent be supported by the popular electoral support for the BNP indicated above.

In the event, four Asian youths were convicted of charges of violent disorder, and six others were acquitted (The Guardian, 11 October 2002).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Mike King

Dr Mike King is Assistant Director/Lecturer at the Scarman Centre, University of Leicester, UK. Dr David Waddington is Reader/Principal Lecturer at the School of Cultural Studies, Sheffield Hallam University, UK. Correspondence to: Dr Mike King, Assistant Director/Lecturer, Scarman Centre, University of Leicester, The Friars, 154 Upper New Walk, Leicester LE1 7QA, UK. E‐mail: [email protected]