The response to the riots reflects terribly on our political class

It should not be difficult to condemn, without equivocation, the violence we have seen on our streets in the past week. The perpetrators belong behind bars.

For the line between civilisation and chaos is thin, and public order is a public good too often taken for granted. Once lost, it can be difficult for the police to regain control, which is why the response to disorder must always be unequivocal and uncompromising, swift and tough.

Courts should, as the Government proposes, sit through the night, and judges must be prepared to hand down tough sentences, as they did to good effect during the riots of 2011. The police will need to use sophisticated capabilities – some covert, some utilising open-source information – to identify and round up rioters before the violence resumes.