Relaunching Clapham Junction at Christmas, cracking down on gangs and creating a crisis communication hub are among the recommendations of a report into the riots published this week.

The independent report, commissioned by Wandsworth Council, also recommends an urgent review of police public order training to prevent future disorder and greater community involvement.

Neil Kinghan, chair of the independent commission, also recommended that the council review its emergency plan and that police make better use of intelligence from social network sites.

He concluded that criminal opportunism was the main motivation behind August's rioting in Wandsworth.

Mr Kinghan compiled the report after speaking to a wide range of residents, businesses and the police as well as organising a series of public meetings.

Wandsworth council leader, Councillor Ravi Govindia said: “I welcome this report and its findings. We set up this independent commission because we wanted to make sure that we learned all the lessons we could from the awful events that took place in Clapham Junction - and to a lesser extent in some of our other town centres.

“We have published this independent report in full so that members of the public, local businesses and others can study its findings and discuss its conclusions. We believe it is important that this whole process is transparent and open to scrutiny.”

The report has also been welcomed by the Labour group who said it fully supports all its recommendations and will work with the Conservatives to implement them.

Its leader, Councillor Rex Osborn, said: "I welcome Mr Kinghan's report because it asks tough questions of the police, in particular why Wandsworth was left so poorly protected that night. Our residents and businesses need and deserve answers and actions on both counts.

"Mr Kinghan's report underlines the fact that there are children in the borough who grow up in some of the poorest families in Britain making them easy prey to the way of the gangs and it calls for more council support for residents associations, families and for sports and youth facilities.

"Better police intelligence gathering, better police planning and more action against the gangs are all needed. Mr Kinghan's report reflects this, which is why it has the full support of the Wandsworth Labour Group."

Sadiq Khan MP, who gave evidence to the inquiry, said: “I welcome the Independent Commissioner’s report, and support the recommendations he has made to both Wandsworth Council and the Metropolitan Police to ensure that a repeat of the unrest that occurred in the borough is averted in the future. “Good local policing, support for vulnerable families and strong engagement with the community will be at the heart of achieving these aims, and I look forward to working with Wandsworth Council and our local police to support this.

“It is clear that the government’s police cuts, with 1800 officers being lost in London over two years, will undermine these goals, which is why I am pleased Wandsworth Council have already supported my calls for the government and Mayor to do a u-turn on cuts to police numbers in the borough.

“Our local police forces need strengthening and supporting, not cutting.”

The Kinghan review recommends:

* An urgent review into the numbers of police with public order training
* A review into how the police monitor social networking sites and handle large numbers of phonecalls
* Police work alongside local businesses
* Use of the Family Recovery Project
* Community engagement with ethnic and religious communities
* To build on the community spirit of the broom army clean-up group
* A relaunch of Clapham Junction to celebrate its recovery in time for Christmas
* The council to establish a communications hub to provide information for future emergencies
* A review of the borough emergency plan
* A long term programme of action developed to bring justice for criminal behaviour and to reduce the influence of gangs

Read the full report at ww3.wandsworth.gov.uk/moderngov/mgConvert2PDF.aspx?ID=15102