The week before Christmas, Home Secretary Jacqui Smith spent a day with me in Brixton.  I met her at the Police building in Kennington where we had a chat with the Borough Commander about crime issues in Lambeth.  We talked about the gang-related shootings that have been a big concern in South London over the past year, and about Lambeth’s approach to tackling the problem.  Jacqui was interested in our work on a guns and gangs strategy that will see a tough crack-down on drug dealing and violent crime as well as an assault on the poverty and lack of opportunity that leads some young people into gangs in the first place. 

Then I introduced Jacqui to some of the young people on Brixton’s Moorlands Estate who are involved in Lambeth’s award-winning X-it programme.  Regular readers will know that X-it is a project that keeps young people out of gangs by building their self-esteem and getting them into training that leads to jobs.  The young people we met were incredibly impressive.  They were very clear that kids from deprived backgrounds don’t want to get involved in gang-related crime, it’s just that too often they don’t have access to the kind of positive opportunities that other children expect as a right.  The young people were bright, articulate and passionate about making the most of their lives, and they were adamant they were going to help other young people in their community do the same.  The Home Secretary was clearly impressed and invited two of the young people to join one of her task-forces.  They were delighted to be asked. 

Finally, we went to a venue in central Brixton for a meeting with a big crowd of local residents.  After introductions where the Home Secretary and I both spoke, Jacqui fielded questions on a range of issues including youth services, improving education and immigration.  Afterwards she spent some time talking to people before her car whisked her back off to the Home Office.  We were very grateful for the long time Jacqui Smith spent with us in Lambeth.  She’s got a very down-to-earth approach and is genuinely prepared to listen.  I think that’s one of the reasons she’s making such an impressive Home Secretary.