A ComRes poll for The Independent reveals that 71 per cent of the public now oppose David Cameron’s plan to cut police number in the wake of the UK riots.
The research also suggests that London Mayor Boris Johnson and David Cameron have both suffered politically from the unrest, with 54 per cent of those polled saying that the prime minister failed to provide leadership early enough in the crisis.
Half of those polled said that they had less confidence that London would be able to host a safe Olympics next year.
Another poll, commissioned by Guardian/ICM, makes equally bleak ready for No.10, revealing that less than a third of the electorate believes the prime minister has done a good job during the riots.
The police fare markedly better, with 45 per cent of respondents saying that that the acting commissioner of the Metropolitan police, Tim Godwin, had done a good job.