North London Riots

[PatientZero]

Microwave guns. As in, laser guns. These are a real thing, and frankly they should be utilized to quell some of this. They singe you just underneath the skin (fun fact: microwaves cause water molecules to start spinning like crazy and become hot, and you're made of water, etc.), nothing lethal but definitely painful. It's a better alternative than using the sound cannons (I don't think those can be focused into small groups so it'll get to bystanders too, iirc) and water cannons (which can physically hurt people).

There's some issues with using microwave radiation as a non-lethal deterrent, especially at a high enough level to cause physical pain, it's unclear if it causes cancer or not for a start, but we know it definitely can cause severe burns and cataracts in the eyes, and will very effectively fry electronics, including pacemakers.

There are a number of potential systems that could be used, from AOD tazer systems through to cayenne pepper based teargas shotgun rounds.
However, unless you can work out a way to get them deployed across the country and train officers to use them in a day, they're not an option.
Water cannons are an option, they're definitely not directly lethal, and anyone close enough to be directly injured by the water pressure is far too close to the van, and as a rule innocent bystanders don't gravitate towards riot van perimeters.
If anything else sparks up again I wouldn't complain about the use of water cannons.

Thankfully it seems like things are quieting down again now, there's still potential for another sudden unexpected escalation, but right now it looks like things are getting back into hand.