Twenty-year-old Peckham resident Jason Francis is clear about the function gangs serve. "For young people especially, it's a sort of extended family because for the majority of young people in this area, there's no father, so the family they have is a gang on the street. That's their home.
"I don't think people would join a gang if they knew it was dealing with crime, but after a time, they get introduced to it."
Francis is chair of Level Up, a new youth forum set up by Peckham-based voluntary organisation Youth Concern Global Network UK. Concern at the recent spate of gun murders of young people in the area has led to the organisation joining forces with other groups in a coalition called Peckham United. It was due to meet Southwark Council leader Nick Stanton late last week to discuss the issue.
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