British Prime Minister David Cameron’s new crime advisor says the UK police may want to adopt US methods to tackle the recent unrest but adds that they must deal with the underlying causes.

US "supercop" Bill Bratton, who is to begin advising Cameron in September about his experiences in dealing with gang crime and street violence, said that some of the crime-fighting methods used in the United States might also work in Britain.

After withering criticism of his leadership during the unrest that recently swept across Britain, Cameron decided to hire the former New York and Los Angeles police chief to help the Tory-led coalition government handle the crisis.

The most feared cop in the United States says Britain must be prepared to use rubber bullets, water cannon and pepper spray on rioters.

Bill Bratton, whose zero-tolerance strategy halved murder rates in New York, said police must be free to use “a lot of arrows in he quiver” on mobs.

Bratton blamed parents for raising children who “don’t fear the police”.

He also called for greater use of control orders to stop gangs congregating.

Bratton said Britain now needed a strong leader like war-time PM Winston Churchill. He said: “Great leadership at times of great adversity.”

He has been ruled out of taking over the Met Police after Home Secretary Theresa May restricted it to British citizens.

Bratton is currently the chairman of the private security firm Kroll.