London must unite in the fight against gang crime, says report

The report from the Commission on Young People and Safety in Islington recommends the creation of cross-borough initiatives to help tackle gangs not restricted to borough boundaries and cut youth crime as a result.

The commission was set up by Islington Council last year after the fatal stabbings of 14-year-old Martin Dinnegan and 16-year-old Nassirudeen Osawe.

It heard evidence from young people, head teachers, police, youth workers and others about the extent of youth and knife crime and how to stop it. Its final report, published last week, sets out 40 recommendations on combating the problem.

Suggestions include increasing the use of hand-held electronic scanning wands for police stop-and-searches and giving young people a bigger say on how money is spent on youth services and how youth clubs are run. It also says police should target knife crime hotspots to reduce the chances of incidents taking place.

Liberal Democrat councillor Greg Foxsmith, chairman of the commission, said it had agreed a number of tough measures to improve the safety of young people. "We have to do all we can to stop another tragedy; the safety of our young people is vital. Islington is not a dangerous place, but these two deaths are far too many. The commission wants to prevent any others."

The commission was made up of cross-party councillors from Islington Council and people from the community. Its recommendations will now be taken to Islington Council's executive on 27 March for consideration.

Members also called for more intelligence-led stop and search, backed up with work to ensure young people do not feel alienated by it. The report acknowledged young black men are four times more likely to be stopped and searched and said these stereotypes need to be challenged.