British PM Cameron declares war on gangs

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LONDON (RIA Novosti)- Fighting street gang culture should become "the new national priority" for Britain, Prime Minister David Cameron said in Oxfordshire on Monday.

He also pledged to fight his nation's "moral collapse" to prevent further riots, saying however that disturbances in many places across the country were "just pure criminality."

"The broken society is back at the top of my agenda," Cameron said.

"We have been too unwilling for too long to talk about what is right and what is wrong," he said. "We have too often avoided saying what needs to be said - about everything from marriage to welfare to common courtesy."

Riots and looting hit several British cities, leaving over 100 police officers injured on August 6-10. The disturbances were triggered by the shooting dead of London resident and suspected drug dealer Mark Duggan.

More than 1,600 people were detained during the ensuing rioting.