"When people get caught up in gang murders people say they are not part of the gang. But in school you hear that they've done stuff. I move away from anyone who pressures me, but it can be scary. Adults should make more stuff for young people to do and make sentencing harder"
- Ronnie Youpa, 17, Hackney
"It's a real issue - the media only reports it if someone dies. I'm lucky as I'm quite academic but I had some family problems once and the boys on the estate became more like family to me. There are also older people behind it, who get the young people running drugs and so on"
- James Stewart, 13, Dundee
"Crime in the world is really bad because young people walk around with guns for a laugh - it is not funny because people can get hurt. I feel that people who walk with guns are not showing a good example. Sometimes I feel unsafe because people have guns"
We want to hear from young people. Contact Dipika Ghose on 020 8267 4724, dipika.ghose@haymarket.com, Young People Now, 174 Hammersmith Road, London W6 7JP.
