The causes which sparked the riots are complex, but Sir Merrick Cockell believes one factor has been the public sector's failure to organise itself effectively and place sufficient control in the hands of those best placed to deal with problems at a local level

It is 10 days since the first appalling acts of violence and criminality started to engulf our streets – the start of unprecedented scenes which horrified communities throughout the country. On Friday, I watched terrible CCTV footage of a raid on people enjoying a meal in a restaurant in my own borough. Individual diners were terrorised one-on-one by criminals armed with broken bottles and staves.