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Words to beat weapons as warring gangs are summoned to peace talks
Justin Davenport, Crime Correspondent21 Jan 2009
LONDON'S most violent gang members are to be invited to face-to-face meetings using tactics copied from the Northern Ireland peace process.
Feuding gangsters will be invited to one-to-one sessions with independent teams of mediators in an effort to end the bloodshed on the capital's streets.
The initiative will also draw lessons from a remarkable truce between two notorious New Jersey gangs, the Bloods and the Crips.
Peter O'Neill, a retired detective from the West Midlands, where a similar scheme has been successful, is launching the plan.
He said words have proved to be a potent weapon in the battle against gun and knife crime in Birmingham.
Mr O'Neill said: "Our purpose is to reduce the need to use violence and therefore reduce the number of clashes. We are about saving lives."
Scotland Yard put youth violence at the top of its agenda after a record 28 teenagers were killed last year. Police estimate there are more than 171 street gangs in London.
Mr O'Neill said the project copies Northern Ireland peace process tactics. He also studied a truce between gangs in Newark, New Jersey, in 2005. The truce designated public places such as parks and houses of worship as neutral zones and gangs agreed not to encroach on each others' communities.
Mr O'Neill said many disputes involved issues such as respect. He said: "It is usually around money or respect issues or very often, the most common form is retaliatory action for something that has been done."
Approaches to feuding gang members will be made through those already in contact with troubled young people. The police and local authorities will be able to refer individuals for mediation.
Mr O'Neill said: "The service we offer gives an alternative for people to resolve a conflict without losing face. We also give people the opportunity for an honourable exit from the environment they are living in."
The mediation project, Capital Conflict Management, was set up last April with £300,000 funding from the Safer London Foundation charity.
At least 12 mediators, including youth workers, businessmen and housewives, have been trained to resolve conflicts.
The service is independent of the police. A Metropolitan Police spokeswoman said: "We believe conflict resolution, as part of a wide range of other preventative measures, will provide an opportunity to prevent disputes escalating into violence and crime."
Reader views (15)
And how many millions of our £s is this nonsense going to cost (before the idiots who thought it up admit it's another job creation scheme for them and ditch it)?
- Sarah Bradshaw, Enfield, Middx, 23/01/2009 14:07
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My brother and his family were persuaded to go the "mediation" route by Police after a gang of kids who'd been terrorizing his entire family for 2 years smashed up his house. The reality was that despite the room being full of Police, teachers, social workers, and the parents of the kids themselves, they weren't actually obliged to stay there. The result was that after these braindead chumps had worn themselves out shouting, swearing and laughing at my brother, sister-in-law and their 2 eldest children (the younger one being too frightened to even take part) AND meted out the same sort of treatment to ALl the adults present INCLUDING THEIR OWN PARENTS, they simply got up and stormed out. And that's supposed to be helpful? I think not!
- Jimmy, Fulham, 23/01/2009 12:27
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Rogan-pure common sense.
What else shall the govt & police consider?
Pay the gang members £1 million each just to stop the violence?
Appeasement never worked through history and this is what these policies smell of.
The only thing these gangs bow to is superior strength&fear.
You cannot be civilised with uncivil people it just doesnt work.
- Russell, london, 23/01/2009 07:55
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Condign punishment is the only realistic answer to these yobs. They will respond to the suggested proposals with profound cynicism and merely exploit the situation in order to maximise their own publicity and boost their perverse egos. The threat of lengthy imprisonment, as set out by Fly from London, would certainly give then pause for thought.
- Peter Sykes, Pirot, Serbia, 22/01/2009 12:36
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Rogan from Irving - you are absolutely right that their antics should not be given recognition. I have particularly thought this whenever journalists on the TV news have cited the names of the gangs. Imagine how excited the little thugs must feel when they know that everyone across the UK and possibly beyond has heard of their gang.
- Sarah Bradshaw, Enfield, Middx, 22/01/2009 09:55
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We have no gangs in Singapore and i can go anywhere at anytime without fear - the only thing people have here is fear of punishment - severe punishment, which keeps crime low and people safe and happy.
- Patrick, Singapore, 22/01/2009 09:08
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they look well fed, watered and nurtured! warm and have shoes on their feet..!
- Blue, usa, 22/01/2009 05:25
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simple, press gang into army min 2 years.
- S.Brett, france, 22/01/2009 04:22
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What next - allocation of turf boundaries? Gang ambassadors to the local police stations - perhaps an office paid for by local taxes? I know - how about extending police powers to the gang enforcers along the lines of the other rent-a-cops!?
Grant them recognition and you give them credence; you justify their warlord mentality. These people are the enemies of society who prey upon everyone else, not a parallel culture. If you stop fighting them, you'll find yourself starting to surrender to them.
- Rogan, Irving, 21/01/2009 15:34
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Anything is worth a try but at the same time there must be much tougher mandatory sentences;
10 years for carrying a gun
5 years for a knife
2 years for having a hood up when it's not raining or even cold
- Julian, London, 21/01/2009 15:15
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Wrong! Tougher sentences DO WORK. We simply do not have them and have not had them for many years.
- Roger, Surrey, 21/01/2009 14:20
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YOu have to work withthe primary school children to stop them getting involved in Gangs in the first place.
Lets see social service actually do something about socially inadequate parents that cause these boys to join gangs in the first place.
Lets have home visits to ensure os called gang mambers are at home when they should be. If they can't be trusted make them attend evening classes or social projects get them off the streets and you stop the gangs. That is the NY experience its not anmby pamby hold hand find a tree hugging friend whole listen to you they laugh at that.
Anyone who has seen a professional dog trainer work first deals with the viscious nature of the dog before they do anything else show that that will not work then you can rehabilitate.
Take them out of the angry ebvironmnet and these kids will calm down most are just missing any real parenting and live a feral life of anarchy wherte the largest fist wins.
- Duncan, Kent, 21/01/2009 13:15
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It is worth trying to see if it works. Police in Glasgow have tried the same, based on America. A range of measures are needed - tougher sentences haven't worked in the past but these people have to realise the consequences for themselves and others of what they do.
- Kiron Reid, Liverpool UK, 21/01/2009 12:21
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What a complete waste of time and money.
Arrest them all, and lock em up for 20 years, and then you'll get a decrease in gangs.
- P I Staker, London, 21/01/2009 12:09
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Instead of words try numbers:
5 Years no early release for carrying a knife
10 Years no early release for carrying a gun
3 offences and you go down for 10 years straight.
This a language most of these idiots could understand. All of this nicely nicely faffing around has delivered precisely nothing so far.
- Fly, london, 21/01/2009 11:50
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