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Unusual slang, new nickname? How to spot if your child is gang member
Martin Bentham, Home Affairs Editor2 Sep 2008
Parents are being given advice today on how to spot if their child is in a gang.
A government booklet is being distributed in London telling parents to look out for their child using unusual slang or a new nickname and acquiring new possessions or money.
Gangs: You And Your Child also offers advice on how to stop teenagers getting involved in gang culture.
It suggests parents should be involved in their child's life, know their friends and their friends' families and encourage them to get involved in positive pastimes.
The booklet advocates listening to a child's reasons for being in a gang and talking through the consequences instead of issuing ultimatums.
It was developed with the Association of Chief Police Officers, local authorities and organisations such as the Family And Parenting Institute and Mothers Against Violence.
Home Secretary Jacqui Smith said: "Parents need to know how to spot if their child is involved in a gang and where to turn if they are concerned.
"The booklet is a useful addition in the fight against violent crime."
Clare Tickell, chief executive of the children's charity NCH, said: "Parents-must be part of the solution when it comes to tackling youth crime - so we welcome this recognition of the vital role they play. However what is also needed, alongside advice, is access to practical support."
Ms Smith will speak later today at the launch of a charity set up by the mothers of two teenagers killed in a drive-by shooting in Birmingham.
The New Year Shooting Memorial Trust has been set up by Beverley Thomas and Marcia Shakespeare, whose daughters Letisha Shakespeare, 17, and Charlene Ellis, 18, were killed at a party in 2003. It aims to help individuals and families affected by gun- and gang-related crime.
