The devastating impact of gang violence on individuals, communities and society as a whole has become an increasing fear for many young people in a lot of inner-city areas.
While gun-related violence and an increase in gangs and territorialism are relatively new in the UK, it is important to keep the issue in perspective - involvement in gangs and weapons-rela-ted activity is not a feature of the vast majority of young people's lives. Where present, it mainly exists in deprived and neglected inner-city areas and can often be linked to more serious organised crime, involving complex networks and sophisticated criminal organisations. However, local programmes have a crucial role to play in tackling the conditions that give rise to involvement by some young people in violent crime.
Defendin Da Hood in Waltham Forest has addressed the temptation of gang membership by engaging and communicating with disaffected young people through rap music and R&B. To date, the project has worked with almost 2,000 young people, many of whom might otherwise have turned to gang membership. By reaching out to those most at risk of becoming involved with gangs, the project has helped to build understanding and reduce crime levels.
Following the initiative's first major series of events in 2006, recorded levels of local violent crime among young people dropped by 30 per cent. This impact demonstrates how local initiatives, rooted in positive and artistic expression, can release young people's potential and provide alternatives to the allure of gangs and crime.
Programmes for those who have already offended also play an important role. The Wasted programme, run by Southwark Youth Offending Team, attempts to prevent repeat offending by teenagers involved in gangs. It takes place over four weekly group work sessions in youth centres and secondary schools, bringing together police, past offenders, victim liaison workers and nurses to consider and illustrate the effect of weapons-related crime on victims and the wider community.
Young people involved in gangs are often those affected by poverty, social exclusion and deprivation. If we can build an understanding of the effect of their actions on both victims and the local area and, at the same time, engage them with positive and alternative ways to express themselves, we can go a long way to improve young people's safety and reduce their involvement in violent crime.
- Anne Longfield is chief executive of 4Children.Email anne.longfield@haymarket.com.
