How to tackle street gangs

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/oct/28/how-to-tackle-street-gangs

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Immediately after the riots of August 2011, David Cameron declared war on gangs. Heavy-handed enforcement tactics followed, and 200 gang leaders were arrested. It was a PR-driven, kneejerk response – and it failed. A new report by the Centre for Social Justice concludes that the arrests led to further "chaos, anarchy and violence". Younger gang members stepped up to fill the power vacuum left by the arrests, and the result was frightening: think Lord of the Flies.

"Older" gang leaders – usually men in their 20s – tend to be entrepreneurial criminals intent on building up drug revenue. Younger gang members tend to be more volatile. They are more likely to carry out tit-for-tat violent reprisals to boost their fragile need for respect. And as these boys vie for status using the currency of violence, the streets become increasingly dangerous.

It was the same in Manchester in April 2009 when the leaders of the notorious Gooch gang were sentenced. Younger kids emerged to create mayhem on the streets of Moss Side. "It's like X Factor," one senior Manchester police officer told me, detailing all the splinter group gangs jostling for position.

One year on from the 2011 riots, frontline charities confirm that there has been little or no progress in tackling gang culture. We need prevention to be prioritised, rather than enforcement.

The 200 gang leaders now in prison will cost £15m a year. Reoffending rates are typically very high – three-quarters of prolific young offenders return to custody. A more effective response is to offer intensive one-to-one mentoring while they are in custody and during the critical period after their release. This initiative, pioneered by SOS Gangs project, backed by St. Giles Trust, also tackles the offenders' lack of skills. The cost is low: £2,000 per client. The results are good, partly because offenders can pull the wool over a police officer's eyes, but they can't lie to another ex-offender.

The CSJ report also emphasises the need to prevent young people joining gangs in the first place. Recruitment to gangs has increased in the last year, and recruits are getting younger. Older gang members wait for primary school kids to be excluded from school because that is when they are most vulnerable. Two-thirds of rioters in court were classed as having some form of special educational need, compared with the 21% national average. Charities such as Chance UK have had excellent results by providing one-to-one mentoring for primary schoolchildren at risk of developing antisocial or criminal behaviour in later life. Over a 12-month period the mentors meet the children, aged 5-11, and build up their self-esteem through fun activities, focusing on children's strengths, not dwelling on their negative behaviour.

This early years approach echoes the conclusions from the government's own riots panel that: "Early intervention is key because of the excellent outcomes it delivers." Neurologists have shown that children neglected by their mother in their first two years can have smaller brains and less capacity for empathy. There is a growing cross-party consensus that early years policies are cost-effective and reduce violence in society.

Frank Field MP, a passionate supporter of early years intervention, claims his findings have been ignored by the prime minister. Funding for early years projects has been hived off elsewhere. Christian Guy, the CSJ's managing director has also expressed concern over the lack of commitment and funding for early years policies. People who deal with violence know it is the long-term answer. Sadly, this government seems to have calculated that the benefit of such evidence-based policy would only be reaped in 15 years time – when they are no longer in power. And so, sadly, the counter-productive war on gangs is likely to continue.