No Criticism Please, We're British

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My jaw dropped and hit the table as I read this astonishing paragraph in the Guardian:

Senior police officers quickly made clear their anger with ministers. "David Cameron blamed the police for not having a crystal ball and not anticipating the most serious set of circumstances ever seen," one senior police source said. "The confidence of the police leadership in the government is at an all-time low. Cameron dumps on the police when it suits him, to deflect blame from himself."

Bolding added.

Let's recapitulate:

1) British police miserably failed to respond adequately to the rioting.* "Anticipation" and "crystal balls" are hardly necessary to deal with riots that extended over four days.

2) British police intervened not only against rioters, but against shopkeepers who organized to defend themselves in the absence of police. (See Jonathan Foreman's report, here.)

3) The force that failed is the same force that has been exposed as tainted by bribe-accepting corruption in the News of the World hacking scandal.

4) Then, when the prime minister acknowledges the blindingly obvious fact of police failure, a "senior police source" complains to the press? And actually uses the preposterous phrase that the police have lost confidence in the government? It's rumored that Prime Minister Cameron is considering hiring the US uber-cop William Bratton to head the London police. Looks like it's time to bring Bratton aboard, with plenary powers to hire, promote, demote, and fire.

* I concur here with Max Boot's apt comment:

Whatever flaws may be exposed in the state of contemporary Britain, to my mind the reason why the riots have raged of control is fairly straightforward. It is the reason why nearly all riots occur: a failure of effective, aggressive policing.