British Prime Minister David Cameron, speaking to Parliament about the recent riots in London, said street gangs were partly to blame and he will consult with former Los Angeles Police Chief William J. Bratton to tackle them.
"I also believe we should be looking beyond our shores to learn lessons from others who have faced similar problems," Cameron told Parliament. "That is why I will be discussing how we can go further in getting to grips with gangs with people like Bill Bratton, former commissioner of police in New York and Los Angeles."
Bratton, now overseeing a private security firm, said that while L.A. had a large number of gangs, only a small proportion of them were responsible for violent crimes. Working with federal authorities, Bratton helped reduce gang homicides and overall gang crime.
Cameron's comments about Bratton come as his name has been repeatedly mentioned to potentially head London's Metropolitan Police. Bratton, who also served as New York's police commissioner, has long coveted the job.
The British Home Secretary has insisted applicants to head the Met be British citizens. But Cameron told Parliament last month that non-citizens should be considered for the post.
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-- Richard Winton
Photo: Former LAPD Chief William J. Bratton. Credit: Al Seib / Los Angeles Times
Metropolitan Police in Lewisham preparing for the riots. 
British Prime Minister David Cameron has stated that a change in police strategy is appropriate following what many feel to be an inadequate response to the rioting that has overrun many cities across England. Riots started in  on Saturday night after the fatal shooting by police of Mark Duggan, a 29-year-old taxi driver who the  state was in possession of a handgun, but did not fire it.

During the Parliamentary debate on the riots, , the Labour leader, called on Cameron to reconsider cuts to police budgets.   described the communities where the rioting occurred as being "left behind" and "cut-off from the economic life-blood of the rest of the country", and called for solutions to the "deep-seated social problems"

One avenue the Prime Minister is said to be considering is changing regulations on  services like Twitter, Facebook and , the latter being used to communicate between groups of rioters. The  and  came out in opposition to any plans to restrict communication using social media, with Jim Killock of the Open Rights Group warning that such regulation would be abused by the police and private companies.

In , England, three people were arrested by police for the suspicion of using Twitter or BlackBerry Messenger to encourage the rioting. The government is "working with the police, the intelligence services and industry to look at whether it would be right to stop people communicating via these Web sites and services when we know they are plotting violence, disorder and criminality," said Cameron.

The Prime Minister also announced that he would consider using the  to support the police in controlling future rioting, and also that he would consult with , CBE, who had been the chief of police in Los Angeles and a police commissioner in New York City and Boston. Bratton is quoted as saying that arrests are not the only way to solve societal problems which lead to rioting and unrest: "You can't arrest your way out of the problem."