Editing Looting (section)

==After disasters==
During a disaster, [[police]] and [[military]] forces are sometimes unable to prevent looting when they are overwhelmed by humanitarian or combat concerns, or they cannot be summoned because of damaged communications infrastructure. Especially during natural disasters, many civilians may find themselves forced to take what does not belong to them in order to survive.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Sawer|first=Philip Sherwell and Patrick|date=2010-01-16|title=Haiti earthquake: looting and gun-fights break out|newspaper=The Daily Telegraph|language=en-GB|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/centralamericaandthecaribbean/haiti/7005554/Haiti-earthquake-looting-and-gun-fights-break-out.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/centralamericaandthecaribbean/haiti/7005554/Haiti-earthquake-looting-and-gun-fights-break-out.html |archive-date=2022-01-12 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|access-date=2020-07-13|issn=0307-1235}}{{cbignore}}</ref> How to respond to that and where the line between unnecessary "looting" and necessary "[[Waste picker|scavenging]]" lies are often dilemmas for governments.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/136582.stm | work=BBC News | title=Indonesian food minister tolerates looting | date=July 21, 1998 | access-date=May 11, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Jacob|first1=Binu|last2=Mawson|first2=Anthony R.|last3=Payton|first3=Marinelle|last4=Guignard|first4=John C.|date=2008|title=Disaster Mythology and Fact: Hurricane Katrina and Social Attachment|journal=Public Health Reports|volume=123|issue=5|pages=555–566|doi=10.1177/003335490812300505|issn=0033-3549|pmc=2496928|pmid=18828410}}</ref> In other cases, looting may be tolerated or even encouraged by governments for political or other reasons, including religious, social or economic ones.