A tarnished image

THE riots in Britain last week have not only tarnished Britain´s image abroad it could hit the highly lucrative tourist market. I was in London on the eve of the riots and the city was packed with foreign tourists, many of them from Spain. It was quite incredible it was just like being back home! London has now become a major destination for Spanish tourists but when I returned to Majorca many Spaniards told me that they would think twice about going to London again because of the violence. The riots not only made headline news in Britain, foreign newspapers gave extensive coverage to the wave of violence. Imagine if the riots broke out again next year when London prepares to host the Olympics? Now, I blame the outbreak of violence on the police, there were too few officers on patrol at a time when the British capital was in the middle of a heatwave and there are literally thousands of people out on the street. Prime Minister David Cameron is right; a get tough attitude is needed and the police should have the necessary powers to deal with trouble. The Metropolitan police have b een in the news for the wrong reason over recent weeks for the phone hacking scandal and now the riots. If London is to continue as a major holiday destination then police need to get their act together and ensure that what we have seen on the streets of London over recent weeks never happens again.