As the debate among politicians, police and commentators about how harshly rioters should be treated rages on, the Government has announced plans to send an army of researchers into the inner cities to ask young people involved in disturbances last week a simple question: why did you do it?

The job of analysing the causes of the looting and vandalism will be carried out separately from the work of the victims' panel, announced by Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg yesterday, which will hear the stories of those whose lives were blighted by the riots.