Give police the tools to target offenders

Titled Raised to Kill it sets out to explain how gangs recruit, operate and go about their criminal activities – and, more importantly, how we can counter them.

However, there is a fundamental problem that needs to be addressed before we can negate gang culture – and that relates to how our criminal justice system operates. 


Our criminal justice system is struggling to cope with the demands that are placed on it – especially in relation to youth crime – and in its current form it is unfit for purpose. To give the public more confidence in its efforts, it was recently announced that the government would be seeking an increase in prisons tariffs and an escalation in police stop and search operations.


Increasing prison tariffs I feel would be a welcome step forward, as current punitive and deterrent prison sentences are far too lenient. Almost every ex-gang member that I know who has reformed, has only done so after serving a lengthy prison sentence. By their own admission short sentences were just inconveniences.


In the case of young people getting caught carrying knives I believe that they should be made to undertake intense residential anti-knife education programmes, rather than being sent to prison. I also firmly believe that we need to start teaching children about gang culture as early as primary school, as our children need to be street smart and gang aware before they start secondary school. 


Stop and search can be a useful tool in certain circumstances, but ineffective and counterproductive when used en masse under Section 60 orders that allow police officers to stop and search individuals without any grounds of suspicion.


Instead, why don’t they use AI (artificial intelligence) camera software that monitors kinesics, as that has the ability to detect unusual nuances in body movements. For instance, a person carrying a knife or gun is likely to move in a more animated manner, which would be detected by AI technology leading to a more justified intelligence-based stop and search.

Such software can also analyse an individual’s height, body mass and gait, making targeting far more effective – as it is based on body movements and not stereotypes. 


In summary, we need to think far more out of the box, as current policing methods are not working, and we need to bridge not alienate communities. 


• Mike Ryan spent eight years working in gang intervention services. His book Raised to Kill is available on Amazon in paperback or Kindle