London, Aug 9: With violence spreading across London and other major cities, British Prime Minister David Cameron today vowed to unleash the full force of law on "thugs" and ordered the deployment of 16,000 police personnel in riot-hit areas to maintain law and order.
 In a rare decision, Cameron called an emergency day-long session of the parliament on Thursday to discuss the situation and steps to defuse the crisis following three days of "sickening" rioting on the streets of London.
 Talking tough, the Prime Minister, who rushed home after cutting short his vacation in Italy, said the culprits will be brought to bear the consequences of their actions and the government was determined to see that justice is delivered to the law abiding citizens.     
 "People should be in no doubt that we'll do everything necessary to restore order to British streets, and to make them safe for the law abiding," Cameron said making a statement after chairing a meeting of government's emergency response committee.
 "And I have this very clear message to those people who are responsible for this wrongdoing and criminality: you will feel the full force of the law and if you are old enough to commit these crimes you are old enough to face punishment".
 Meanwhile, Scotland Yard said a 26-year-old man shot in a car during riots in Croydon has died in hospital, becoming the second victim after 29-year-old Mark Duggan, whose death in police firing on Thursday had sparked the riots.
 Determined to prevent a fourth night of violence, Cameron ordered deployment of 16,000 police officers on the streets of London and cancelled the leaves of officers to maintain law and order.
 Cameron termed the scenes witnessed on the streets of London and elsewhere as "appalling" and driven by "criminality" and admitted that more police presence and more robust police action was required.
 Rioting and looting that started on Saturday, sparked by Thursday night's death of Duggan, spread across London, and also flared up in the central city of Birmingham, the western city of Bristol and the northwestern city of Liverpool.
 Another person, who was shot in his car during last night's rioting in Croydon died after being admitted to hospital, police said. He was discovered in a car suffering from gunshot wounds at about 9.15 pm as trouble flared in the area.
 Police said over 500 people have been arrested so far as additional reinforcements poured into the capital from police forces across Britain.
 Three people are being questioned on suspicion of attempted murder after a police officer was injured by a car in Wembley, north-west London, while trying to stop suspected looters.
 Cameron said many more people responsible for the violence are certain to be rounded up in the coming days, as he took charge of the uneasy situation that has blighted Britain's image across the world after 72 hours of looting and rioting.
 The police have announced that if required, tonight they will use rubber bullets to deal with the situation.
 As images of cars, buses and property going up in flames were broadcast around the world, questions were raised about the city's ability to host the 2012 Olympics, while commentators in China and Iran appeared to lecture to Britain on ways to deal with the situation on the streets of London.

Lastupdate on : Tue, 9 Aug 2011 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Tue, 9 Aug 2011 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Wed, 10 Aug 2011 00:00:00 IST