The shambolic scenes that adorned our TV screens, beamed from the streets of our Capital city earlier this month, will have sickened every civilised citizen, irrespective of their political affiliation, religious belief, race, or social background.
Now of course the recriminations, analysis, and review of what happened, and most importantly 'why' will occupy the minds of politicians and academics for many months to come. There is rarely any simple panacea for these issues, but I do believe that sport - especially athletics - has a massive role to play.
I have spent 35 years coaching athletics at various levels, spending many early years with the young, progressing to where I am now - typing this missive in South Korea awaiting the start of the World Championships. And through those years there has been one very clear message from young and senior athletes, and that is their fears of what might have been, had they not found sport.
Young people need, seek, indeed feed on thrill and excitement. They crave a belonging and identity that gives them status in front of an audience. If they are deprived of that, they become more and more desperate to find it, and hence become extremely vulnerable to an increasingly threatening and cruel outside world.
You can translate this two ways: a youngster without guidance for whatever reason, becomes attracted to a gang, receives negative influences, is desperate to fit in, and so follows negative role models into a downward spiral of anti-social behaviour and ultimate criminal offending. Or you can have a young person who is given that one chance to take up sport, make him/her part of a group/team, show them how much fun it can be and/or unearth a talent, reward them with uniform or kit, and you have positive behaviour boxes being ticked all over the page! Motivation, leadership skills, self-esteem and confidence - they all come, slowly but surely, and lay the foundations for a constructive, not destructive, future!
When I was at Blackheath Harriers (as they were then called), we developed a massive youth scheme which was hugely successful. Team sweatshirts with "National Champions" emblazoned thereon were slept in! You only have to talk to participants of schemes like Met-Track, and many others, to understand that this in many cases is the first time these young people have actually been given the chance to have a go at anything. Dishing out simple tee-shirts in Hackney brought cheesey grins to even the most stubborn members!
Athletics is a multi-discipline sport appealing to both genders, and has wide appeal. Yet it is largely an annual day in many of our schools (sports day) or confined to elite school team members. Those most vulnerable to the scenario described above are left to their own devices - and the results were very clear indeed in Tottenham, Hackney, Croydon, and many other London flashpoints.
We have to invest more in young people and getting them on the right track (no pun intended!). With Met-Track we have struggled to sustain funding and are actually in danger of going bust - scandalous in the wake of such criminality on our streets, and obvious demand for diversionary schemes. And funding "released" by politicians is far from realistic. A 17-page form to apply for authorisation to apply for Lottery funding - and then a 26-pager to actually apply! Two attempts at Mayors' funding after we are told we tick all the boxes, only to be rejected without being shortlisted? And this for a tried, tested, and extremely effective project!
Ultimately, the criminal justice system and robust policing will have to be the answer for many but, until there is a proper strategic approach to engaging with our young, educating parents on how to engender responsibility in their off-spring, I fear for our longer-term future.
