Today's blog post is written by our director, Dr Rob Berkeley

The scenes beamed around the world of Tottenham in flames are a tragedy. A tragedy for the already vulnerable people of Tottenham whose lives and livelihoods have been put at unnecessary risk, a tragedy for a city that had begun to imagine itself as an exemplar of good relations between people from different backgrounds, but also a tragedy for our politics that creates the situation in which street disturbances of this kind can happen.

The image of the hooded youth aiming a missile at police lines against a backdrop of burning vehicles is too reminiscent of the riots of thirty years ago to be ignored. We may have told ourselves that those days could never return, but we have simply failed to examine the evidence. There is no excuse for rioting, but it is crucial that we understand the context in which it happens.

In 1981 we could look at the disenfranchisement and despair among large sections of London youth. In education there was a 20 point-gap in achievement between Black and White youth. In Haringey schools this year that gap had increased to one of 35 points.

In 1981 we could highlight the levels of youth unemployment - which reached as high as 45%. Currently 20% of White young people are unemployed, 40% of Pakistani youth and half of all Black youth.

In 1981 we noted poor relationships between the police and young people with the now infamous 'sus' laws. Reports earlier this year highlighted that Black men were 8 times more likely to be stopped and searched than white men. Under some powers such as Section 60 this rises to 26 times more likely. Effective policing would clearly be welcomed by a community such as that in Tottenham where people are much more likely to be victims of crime. Effective policing is based on trust and consent, rather than antagonism and suspicion.

It appears that we have failed to learn from the past and are therefore doomed to repeat our mistakes. Mistrust of the police has once again been the spark in a tinderbox of exclusion and hopelessness that creates the conditions for riots of this type. Despite the efforts of many people in communities to advocate for change and to address the exclusion of young people, from the Peace Alliance to Haringey Young People Empowered, they are not helped by the overwhelming inequality faced by those they are working with.

As Tottenham picks itself up and its people seek to restore their lives, we look forward to hearing from government what they intend to do to help. This week in New York we have seen Mayor Bloomberg announce a $1 billion public/private partnership to address the economic exclusion of African American and Latino young men. In London, an initiative of this kind seems to be too much to ask. Instead we have a government that is yet to publish a strategy to address racial inequality, 75% cuts to youth services in Haringey, a policing strategy that is failing to address the serious youth violence on our streets, and the organisations that might make a difference scrabbling for resources rather than being able to address the problems.

Just as evidence tells us what conditions drive riots, it can also tell us what works in minimising them. Government and civil society both have roles in finding the solutions. If we know that racial inequality creates bad outcomes for us all, why is so little being done to address it? The people of Tottenham deserve answers.

For press inquiries, contact Vicki Butler: 020 7377 9222 or email our of hours v.a.e.butler[at]googlemail[dot]com