 Lambeth’s Labour Council finalised a five-year plan to tackle
gang activity among young people last night, making Lambeth the
first borough to have a dedicated action plan targeting violent
youth crime.
Lambeth’s proposals have been drawn up because of rising
concerns about young people getting involved in gangs and violence,
and include an extra two million investment in youth services, a
'hotline' for parents concerned about their children, specialist
outreach teams to work with at-risk young people and plans for
police officers in primary schools.
Key proposals in Lambeth's action plan include:
• Increased investment of over two million in youth services,
to provide more positive things for young people to do
• Increased support for parents struggling to bring up their
children responsib
• A 'hotline' for parents who are worried about their children
getting involved in gangs
• A specialist outreach team to work with young people most at
risk of getting into trouble
• Extended opening for youth centres, particularly at evenings
and weekends
• A new intelligence gathering unit with the police targeting
problem families
• A network of police officers to support primary schools
• Extension of peer mentoring programmes which have already
proved successful at turning young people away from crime
• Measures to help those not in training, education or
employment to move into the workplace and get skills to set them up
for life.
Steve Reed, Leader of Lambeth Council, said: “Crime in Lambeth has
fallen for six successive years but tackling violent youth crime
has to be a top issue for the council. Over the past few years we
have been seen as the heart of the problem but now we are becoming
the heart of the solution.
"I was struck by the story of one teenage boy moving onto an
estate affected by gangs. If he joined one gang, the other
would be out to get him. Join the second, and he’s a target for the
first. Join neither, and he’s prey to both. In this
situation, some young people join gangs for their own safety and
then get caught up in violent and criminal activity. We must
give our young people better choices than this.
"Our action plan outlines other ways we can improve
opportunities for teenagers - from teaching them about the dangers
of gangs, to providing more employment opportunities. We owe it to
decent ordinary Londoners, and to young people who risk throwing
away their futures, to get this right."
Last year a commission was established by Lambeth Council to
investigate the causes of violent youth crime and to plan a way
forward based on the evidence including interviews with young
people in and out of gang membership. Chaired by Labour councillor
Lorna Campbell, it commissioned the most extensive research into
the problem ever seen in the UK. The final report was written
by Professor John Pitt.
A draft strategy was signed by representatives of the Council,
the Police, and the community at a guns and gangs summit on
February 14 this year, the first anniversary of the murder of Billy
Cox. Representatives from the Lib Dem and Conservative
parties were invited but failed to take part. The final strategy
was approved by Lambeth’s Labour cabinet on July 28th following
extensive consultation with the community. Other councils and
the Home Office are already looking at how Lambeth’s proposals can
be rolled out elsewhere.
A crackdown on drug dealers and street dealing is already
underway in Lambeth, with the launch of Lambeth Council's policy to
publicise those who come to the area to buy drugs. The proposals
were opposed by Lib Dem councillors who, while they were running
the council until 2006, left Lambeth with the worst-funded youth
service in inner London, failed to appoint a front-bench councillor
to tackle crime and refused to serve ASBOs on offenders for their
first three years in charge.
See how the Guardian newspaper covered this
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