As the last embers smoulder in the aftermath of the UK Riots, a plethora of reasons have been offered up as to why kids as young as 11 were out misbehaving without a thought of punishment from the law or their parents.
Pictures of young adults rummaging through shops to procure sporting wear, electrical goods, jewellery and, bizarrely, Tesco brand basmati rice, shocked people who could not fathom the feral like behaviour of this mob's actions.
Rap, everyone's favourite musical scapegoat, took a licking, Iain Duncan Smith blamed gangs (interestingly this was one occasion where London's warring tribes unified), Twitter and Facebook were both chastised whilst Blackberry Messenger was anointed as the looter's preferred choice of communication.
Summer holidays, spending cuts and all manner of other things were also suggested but has anyone stopped to think that these kids were just a rotten bunch?
In an era where youth crime is on the rise and youth violence is a particular problem, rising in the UK year on year by 4%, it is fair to say that some young people out there aren't particularly nice characters.
Having lived in an area near to Wood Green and Tottenham where the trouble first started, I don't think that all of the rioting and looting was as sinister as being made out and much of it was kids having fun. Speaking to a young person in Finsbury Park, they remarked that while they didn't get involved in any themselves, the rioting and looting "looked fun".
When I was younger being allowed to go out and play football with my friends at the football pitch was my idea of a good time. This isn't to say I was an angel, my family will tell you I was quite a handful, but I had an understanding of right and wrong as well as a fear of my parents that kept me in line most of the time, but looking at the young people growing up in my area now, that does not seem to be the case any longer.
Why is this? I believe it's because some parents have allowed their children to be raised by TV, music and films rather than do the job themselves and in the event that a parent does want to take an active role in raising their child when it comes to discipline, the confusion over what is and is not acceptable means parents are fighting a losing a battle.
As a result ill-disciplined children are getting caught up in illegal activities at a much younger age. In July a 13-year-old boy was arrested in connection with a murder in the area of the capital where I now live. While murder is far removed from looting, of those arrested and charged by the London Metropolitan Police in connection with the rioting, over a quarter were aged between 11 and 17.
The looting definitely made Britain sit up and take notice of a problem that has been staring it in the face for a while now, and until these issues in the home are addressed these children will continue to be a problem for society.
• Chudi Onwuazor is a 23-year-old English graduate
