Boris: Make Rioters Say Sorry To Victims

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Boris Johnson believes every person convicted of rioting should be made to say sorry to their victims.

The Mayor of London has written to Justice Secretary Ken Clarke to urge the government to force the rioters to do unpaid community service as part of their sentence.

Mr Johnson writes: "I am sure you must be deeply concerned, as I am, about the need to ensure that all those convicted of charges relating to the recent riots are made to face up to the enormity of their appalling conduct and the impact that it has had on their community. I believe London as a whole expects nothing less.

"As a starting point, I would hope you do all within your powers to ensure that ALL those convicted as a result of the disturbances in the capital are required - as part of their sentence - to meet with representatives of their victims to hear first hand the impact that their criminal actions have had on businesses and residents alike and to apologise for their disgusting behaviour.

"I do not believe there would be any shortage of Londoners willing to spell out in detail just how these events have damaged their lives."

The Mayor spent the morning in the CCTV headquarters of the Metropolitan Police and said he was shocked by how passers-by joined in with the rioting across London.

He praised the work of the police officers scouring thousands of hours of CCTV footage to find those responsible, saying "CCTV footage is incredibly important for understanding the mob mentality during the London Riots."

By midday on Monday, the Met Police had arrested 1,580 people in connection with the violence, disorder and looting in London, with 923 of those charged.