Social policy researcher Ian Joseph, who heads Action Research Consultants, says an inability to distinguish antisocial behaviour and minor offending from organised crime is stopping practitioners from tackling problems effectively.
"Dealing with antisocial behaviour requires a different strategy to dealing with organised crime and there's no guidance on this at the moment," said Joseph.
Joseph is collating his findings after studying young people and young offenders in five areas of England and Wales for 18 months. He also interviewed youth offending teams and parents as part of the study.
The research aims to improve the board's understanding of gangs and their criminal activities, what leads young people to join gangs and how services are responding to their needs. It will also recommend the best types of intervention.
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