A Home Office minister has warned the government against "jumping to conclusions" as it goes about crafting its response to the riots.Liberal Democrat Lynne Featherstone has written in her local newspaper that the "government's job is to ensure that its citizens are safe ... but we do have to be careful about jumping to conclusions".
Her call for more caution in devising measures for dealing with the riots is in line with the Lib Dem position that they will put a brake on some of the responses.
Immediately after the riots, David Cameron and ministers floated a plethora of policy responses, including the eviction of the families of rioters from council houses and a consultation on halting benefit payments to offenders. The PM also gave emphatic support for tough sentences handed out by the courts, intended to be "exemplary" and to deter people from taking part in riots in the future.