Rampant consumerism and the plight of the disadvantaged in society are among the problems that need to be tackled if last August’s riots are not to be repeated, according to the head of the Crown Prosecution Service in the region.

Harry Ireland, chief crown prosecutor for the CPS in the Midlands, said that while he has little sympathy for those involved who received tough sentences, he did believe society needed to address wider issues in the wake of the disturbances.

Reflecting on the role of the CPS – which saw cases against 300 defendants examined – Mr Ireland said there were lessons to be learnt across the spectrum.

“This isn’t something that is going to be cured in five minutes, or even five years,” he said. “There’s a bigger question about what sort of society we want and how we get that.

“There is no doubt in my mind we are driven by rampant consumerism – it is what drives growth. We live in a throwaway society and the level of consumerism thrown at people every day must have an impact. I expect people want something more than rampant consumerism.”

But Mr Ireland also praised the community work going on, particularly in deprived communities, highlighting it as an example of initiatives aimed at improving society.

“There is a lot of work going on out there on the streets from people who are trying to keep things on the rails,” he said. “With NGOs and community groups there is a lot of work going on behind the scenes.”

But he also acknowledged some of the divisions in society, particularly among disadvantaged communities, sounding a cautionary note about the potential impact.

“There is dissatisfaction,” he added. “You can’t have a sub-strata of society simply ignored and written off.

“I think we are in danger of having that. I don’t think we are in the state the USA was 20 years ago but there is a danger.

“I don’t think any responsible nation can say we can ignore this section of society because it suits us. We are one society, if we ignore that we have a problem.

“There is not one answer and we need a longer term view – what we want to achieve in 10 or 20 years is what we should be dealing with now. There needs to be a proper debate about society, what we have and how we get there.