Britain faces years of public disorder fuelled by the economic crisis, with police battling to keep control of the streets, a former Scotland Yard chief has warned. Lord Stevens made his warning at the launch of an independent commission into the future of policing, which has been set up by Labour as it tries to outflank the government on law and order. Labour says the Tory-led government rebuffed its calls for a royal commission into policing, so it effectively set up its own. "My gut feeling is it's going to be a very difficult 18 months to three years," he said. "One of the main issues will be public order, or rather public disorder, and we will be looking at that in some detail." Stevens warned of continuing disquiet on the streets, saying there were already "signs of increasing crime'' and that "the police will have to be match-fit on this issue". Stevens said the police response to this summer's riots led them to lose control of the streets. He added that the first riot in Tottenham, north London, after a police shooting, should have been anticipated. During the summer riots police had been "acting a day behind'' events, he added. Stevens said it "rang alarm bells" that stop and search was an issue, and police must be better at explaining to communities what they are doing and be better at listening to their concerns. But the shadow home secretary, Yvette Cooper, said: "My fear is that policing in Britain now faces a perfect storm. The scale of the cuts, the chaos of confused reforms, escalating demands and declining morale.'' She added: "I am now worried about the future for policing and the risk of a growing gap between public concerns and the capacity of the police to deliver."