A former New York and Los Angeles police chief will advise the British government on tackling the street gangs blamed for the violence that raged nationwide this week.

Bill Bratton, who had private talks with British Prime Minister David Cameron on Friday, said there are lessons from the United States that were relevant to the situation in England.

Large numbers of police will be on the streets over the weekend following widespread rioting and looting in London and other cities, including Birmingham and Manchester at the start of the week. Five deaths are believed to be linked to the unrest.

Police have arrested more than 2,200 people around the country, many of whom have already appeared before magistrates. Hearings are being held round-the-clock in some courts to deal with the large numbers charged.

“Bill Bratton, who has long-standing links with British policing, will be providing this advice in a personal capacity and on an unpaid basis,” a Downing Street statement said.

Bratton, who since 2009 has worked for private security consultancy Altegrity and its subsidiary Kroll, is seen as having taken bold steps to cut crime rates in New York and Los Angeles.

“I would certainly be in a position to discuss the contemporary American experience and my work in these areas — in particular the successes that created real reductions in gang-related crime in Boston, New York and most recently in Los Angeles, where we also saw significant improvements in the relations between the police and the city’s diverse communities,” he said in a statement on Kroll’s website Friday.

“There are many lessons from these experiences that I believe are relevant to the current situation in England.”

Bratton said he believed the British government could overcome the problem, adding: “I support their resolve to seize upon this difficult situation as an opportunity to address the issues of gangs and gang violence and the resulting fear and disorder head-on.”

(Source: CNN)