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Boris Johnson unveils plan to tackle youth violence
Pippa Crerar and Katharine Barney03.11.08
BORIS Johnson today unveiled a massive overhaul of his youth violence strategy to tackle the root causes of teenage criminality which has claimed the lives of 27 teenagers so far this year.
The Mayor's radical plan pledges to give more support to first-time offenders, fine parents of regular truants and set up scholarships for disadvantaged children. It will bring together government, councils, charities and other agencies and pour hundreds of millions of pounds into the problem in the capital.
Launching the strategy in Edmonton, Mr Johnson said: "Tackling serious youth crime and the tragic murders of young people has been my most immediate priority since becoming Mayor.
"My action plan will provide the London-wide leadership and coordination that has so far been abse nt in tackling youth crime.There are no magic answers to these deep-rooted problems. However, I hope this will be the first step to achieving the fundamental long-term change that is profoundly needed."
His deputy mayor for policing, Kit Malthouse, said: "This is not only a crime prevention tool it is aimed at providing young people with the education, skills training and self respect to prosper and achieve great things in life."
The long-term approach will complement a series of measures to increase visible policing including a major anti-knife crime strategy, Operation Blunt, and an increase in stop-and-search which is already in place.
Almost one in four Londoners is under 19-years-old and while the vast majority are law-abiding, a tiny minority cause trouble that affects communities across the city. Mr Johnson launched his five-point plan Time for Action alongside Mr Malthouse, deputy Met Commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson and London Council's member for children and young people, James Kempton.
The Mayor also wants to establish a central "library" of information and a project auditing service Project Oracle so groups can focus their work on activities that deliver results. However, he admitted there was a "gaping hole" in the strategy when it came to providing support for parents and pre-school children and has promised to come up with proposals.
Reader views (15)
Seems like this is an excuse for the bleeding heart brigade to wring their hands and bleat about the poor offender, whilst treating the victims with contempt and disgust.
The only real cure would be to apply the birch to these thugs backsides as soon as they start to go off the straight and narrow-look at the statistics in Singapore, it really works.
- Mick, Australia
Andrew Gilligan is right in a way - by the time prison is an option the system has failed and re-offending is likely, however that doesn't mean getting tougher is not the right answer. Political correctness in school's has damaged children around the country for two decades preventing bullying and abuse from being punished. Small amounts of poor behaviour left unchallenged lead to bigger breaches of acceptable behaviour until pupils see they have no option but to protect themselves. They see their thuggish peers let-off and put back into the same class with the same teachers and pupils they disrupted, abused or threatened without any punishment. By failing to deal at an early stage with this the system fails all children - classes can't be taught, pupils join gangs for protection, they can't get jobs, their children become dependent on the State. Tackling school discipline is a tough nut to crack, and one that Boris doesn't understand, doesn't have the power and the will to challenge. Everything else he tries will fail as a result.
- Matt Knott, Wandsworth
The government and society must acknowledge the real core issue on violent youth crime within London, and that is African immigrant gangs. It seems the establishment is so pc it will not identify the real issues incase of admitting that the multicultural society they dreamed of; does not work!
- Brandon Thomas, London UK
what London needs is a policy of zero tolerance as used in New York. Police should be able to stop and search youths suspected of being armed and carrying weapons should be automatically punished by prison, regardless of the age of the transgressor.
- Tommy Cockles, ealing England
Did anyone see John Prescott's Class prog last night? He met a man who's never worked since leaving school and has NINE children. No real reason and no apologies. Mass sterilization would be one answer. At least then the current generation of useless losers would die out without breeding more of the same.
- Sarah Bradshaw, Enfield, Middx
Whilst our society does nothing about controlling the ‘disadvantaged parents’ who seem to be breeding more and more ‘disadvantaged kids’ which they can neither afford to keep financially or give any moral guidance to, this problem will not go away, it will only get worse... The radical future??? Assess parent’s ability to raise their kids (financially, educationally and morally) before they are allowed to have them...
- Ade, London
No one is going to stop it, it's unstopable, Look at the cities in the USA we are heading in the same direction.
- Jane, Tower Hamlets, England.
Sir: We all need to do more to help the youth..All over the country you see and read about the crime and drunkens of the youth..All standing around in the streets.No pride in what they do.They really don't care any more..I think they need to have a parents who know how to speak to them about life..To many single parents on the dhs..And too many young girls having babies.They havn't any idear about being a parent.The young men really could do with a turn in the forces..Helen
- Helen Mc Allister, san diego,ca.
LET US GO BACK TO MORNING ASSEMBLE AT SCHOOL.
READ THE BIBLE
TEACH LOVE THOSE AROUND YOU.
HAVE PRIDE IN YOUR SCHOOL UNIFORM.Very sloopy these days
- Rf Mesenger, Chritschurch
Have 1 teacher to 10 pupils would be a start. With that ratio you can start to teach social skills and responsibilities. Always remember with crime that a lot of people stopped reporting it years ago due to lack of real interest from the Police. Finally dialling 999 does not mean the Police will attend.
- John Wright, Clacton on Sea UK
This was the 'Action Plan' from Boris?... He must come out from behind the smoke and mirrors and get himself some new scriptwriters. The article was filled with meaningless woffle.... 'Leadership co-ordination', 'fundamental long term change', 'self respect, training to achieve great things in life' and of course it has to have a name ''Project Oracle''....Why do we have to pay good taxes for this drivel? Anti- social and aggressive behaviour should be met with State handed out anti-social and aggressive punishment...ie. carry a gun or knife, automatic 10 years in detention. Oh yes, p.s. havent you got any good pictures of Boris, he looks demented in all of your photo's? Also does he dye his hair?...Now that would be more news worthy that the usual self interested hyperbole.
- Bondy, London
The best thing that Johnson could do is give every 11 yr old and 16 yr old a FREE cycle. Make London the Cycling City like Amsterdam and Beijing. The would allow youngster to be more mobile without paying out of their pocket.
- Dhanraj, Basildon
Money may help, but there is much that is being done by the voluntary sector ... and more that could be done if there were more adult volunteers.
Back in the UK I was involved in Beaver Scouts for many years, and for a good bit of this time turned away as many boys as I took, knowing that virtually all the other groups in the area were full too. Given the leadership, we could have started and filled several more groups. I suspect the same is true of Guides, Brownies, Red Cross and a whole host of other organisations that seek to channel young people's energies in a positive direction.
If you think there's a problem, the answer may be you. And if you're an employer make it clear that you will encourage staff who want to get involved, and that (say) their need to finish work promptly at 5 on a Thursday will be honoured, not seen as a lack of commitment.
- Tonyb, Melbourne, Australia
Trouble is what they decided at Central Level, isn't being carried out at local level, that's why people don't believe that crime is going down. They guage that by what's actually happening in their own community - which in my case is absolutely nothing to deter anti-social behaviour. I can't even remember what a policeman's uniform looks like as we never see any!
- Sue, Orpington, Kent
Whilst the Mayor’s plans clearly prioritise funding tackling youth violence, his commitments must go further to deal with the problem. He clearly understands the need to provide guidance and programmes to steer young people away from violence, gangs and knife crime, but there is simply not enough focus on this. Knife crime is cited as the tip of what the Mayor calls a “pyramid of violence”, but we need to see more real preventative work targeted at tackling the behaviours at the bottom of the pyramid.
At Beatbullying, we know that the anti-social behaviours at the bottom of the pyramid can escalate to more serious violent crime without suitable and sustained intervention. Instead of fire-fighting with the consequences once a young person has reached the tip of the pyramid, Beatbullying believes it is far more logical, and effective, to tackle the causes and problems that have led a young person to that position.
The importance of education outlined in project Euclid is vital, but the focus is still on the late intervention policing and protocols on attendance, without enough emphasis on the root causes behind truancy, or on best practice resources to prevent truancy in the first place. City Hall must first look closer at why so many pupils are missing education, and implement strategies to address these causes.
The Mayors vision of hope for the youth of London will only come to fruition with an integrated approach from parents, teachers and the third sector.
- Emma-Jane Cross, Chief Executive Of Beatbullying, London, UK
