Reformed criminal who threw bottles at police during the 2011 London riots says he ‘wouldn’t be surprised’ if unrest erupted again because the ‘same conversations are still happening today’
- Charity worker Vernel Dolor, from Hackney, involved in the London riots of 2011
- Used to be gang member in the early 2010s but has since turned life around
- In Channel 5 documentary, said he wouldn’t be surprised if new riots happened
A reformed criminal who took part in the 2011 London riots said he ‘wouldn’t be surprised’ if unrest erupted again because the ‘same conversations that were happening before riots are still happening’.
Vernel Dolor, from Hackney, was involved in gang activity and drug dealing when the riots broke out in the summer of 2011, and he became caught up in the vandalism.
He was sentenced to two years in prison after being caught on film throwing two bottles at police officers.
The Riots, which took place between 6 and 11 August 2011, started in Tottenham, North London, after local Mark Duggan was killed during a police surveillance exercise on August 4.
Violence, looting and arson then spread through the capital to Hackney and Brixton and around the country to Liverpool, Manchester and Birmingham, causing £50million in damage.
Speaking in the Channel 5 documentary Riots: The Week London Burned, last night, Vernel, who has since turned his life around and has become a charity worker, said he ‘wouldn’t be surprised if new riots were to take place.
Vernel Dolor, from Hackney, was involved in gang activity and drug dealing when the riots broke out in the summer of 2011, and he became caught up in the vandalism
The Riots, which took place between 6 and 11 August 2011, started in Tottenham, North London, pictured, after local Mark Duggan was killed during a police surveillance exercise on August 4
‘We didn’t want to burn our community, we didn’t want to burn our local shops, it was just to be heard,’ he said.
‘I still go to my local estate, and the same conversations that was happening before the London riots are still happening.
‘So if it was to happen again, I wouldn’t be surprised. I wouldn’t take part in it, but I wouldn’t be surprised.’
He continued: ‘Hackney was, we used to call it, “the trenches”, no opportunities in Hackney.
‘Nobody had a great relationship with the police, nobody had nice things to say about the police. These are the people who are supposed to look after us, to keep us safe, to keep us secure, and we didn’t feel like that.’
Former Met Police inspector Chris Donaldson said of the reasons behind the riots: ‘Poverty, deprivation, people feeling that they’re not part of society, it’s a cocktail that’s dangerous and it could turn into a Molotov cocktail.’
A double decker seen burning in Tottenham on the first evening of the riots in London 2011
It comes as police chiefs are said to be drawing up contingency plans to deal with the potential fallout that may come as millions of Britons face financial hardship this winter.
The chiefs are concerned that ‘economic turmoil and financial instability’ has the potential to spark a rise in crime, specially ‘acquisitive’ offences, a leaked national strategy paper has revealed.
Authorities fear the UK will see an increase in shoplifting, burglary, vehicle theft, online fraud, blackmail and other crimes that ‘rely on exploiting financial vulnerability’.
With little storage of its own, Britain does typically buy gas back from the Continent during winter. This year, it will leave the country exposed to higher prices and market havoc if Russia goes further.
The strategy paper, created with input from the National Police Chiefs’ Council, argues there is a ‘more complex and unpredictable risk’ and ‘greater chance of civil unrest’ as UK residents battle with soaring living costs.
Police escort one of the rioters away during the first nights of riots in Tottenham, north London
The document – reviewed by The Sunday Times – states that officials are concerned that ‘prolonged and painful economic pressure’ will lead to a spike in criminal activity.
Speaking on the documentary, Vernel said he hadn’t planned to join the riots that day.
‘I look out my window, I’m seeing loads of people, the streets filled up really quickly,’ he said.
He explained that the community were very angry about the death of Mark Duggan by police officers, which had been the catalyst of the riots in North London.
‘People were saying “listen, this could really happen to one of us”,’ he said.
‘You could cut the tension with a knife, you could really tell that something is happening today.
The Channel 5 documentary on the riots comes as police chiefs are said to e drawing up contingency plans to deal with the potential fallout that may come as millions of Britons face financial hardship this winter (pictured: Fire and violence spread around London during the riots)
‘My daughters’ mum was like “please, don’t get involved,” because at the time, I was a part of gang culture.
‘I didn’t actually leave the house to go join the riots, my daughter needed some Actimel, that’s why I actually left my house.’
However, when tension with the police escalated, the former gang member got involved and threw some bottles at the officers on the scene.
After the riots settled down, Nervel was eventually arrested, and faced a harsh sentence.
‘I was arrested for violent disorder. I get to court, and the judge says: “I’m gonna give you a year for each bottle that you threw”,’ he recounted.
He explained that he was sentenced to two years in prison after the court saw a 17 second clips of him throwing two bottles at officers.
‘I do feel it was a bit arch,’ he said.
Since leaving prison, Vernel has turned his life around and works with a charity helping disadvantaged youths in Hackney.
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