Home Office Good Practice Seminars
Violent Crime Seminar
Workshops - 15 September
Workshop 2
Tackling Gang and Gun Violence
Lorraine Briscoe, Aston Pride, and Doreen Bailey, Crown Prosecution Service
The purpose of this workshop was to look at how gangs are structured, some of the issues around engaging with gangs and strategies for providing alternatives to gang membership.
Gangs, like many other groups are communities with common interests and shared purposes. They are highly organised and effective structures.
There is a difference between a group of people who go around together and a gang. Gangs plan and have a strategy, there is a clear hierarchy and they work together well as economic units, involved in crime. Gangs are also good at partnership working with other gangs.
Many gang members get drawn in gradually, often for something to do. Gangs are associated with geographical areas, which help to create a shared identity. There is also a sense of security and personal safety in belonging to a gang.
Not everyone who lives in a particular area will belong to a gang, but they will be stereotyped as gang members, which affect their employment prospects.
There is no pressure on people to join gangs. Members get recruited by watching older members, who are adopted as role models.
Members tend to get drawn in to gangs gradually through petty crime and fist fighting and then move on to more serious offences.
Gang membership is male dominated, while the position of girls is more ambiguous. Girls tend to follow the gangs, but are not as heavily engaged. There is evidence that Gang membership for girls is increasing.
Gangs have a clear hierarchy. Gang leaders, tend to be well educated, determine strategies and plan gang activity, but don't get involved in committing offences. The workers are established gang members involved in running the business. Finally the foot soldiers are the youngest and most visible layer of the gang. They are also the one's most at risk of being a victim of violent crime.
Gang members move through the hierarchy, although most remain as foot soldiers. The life expectancy of a foot soldier is 25: members who haven't moved up the hierarchy by this age are most at risk and the group that most want to leave gangs.
Gang members at all levels have ready access to guns.
There is rigorous internal discipline in gangs. One of the key requirements of a gang member is to be loyal. Disloyal members can be killed.
Cultures and ethnic groups do not mix in gangs (this is not a hard and fast rule), although they do co-operate in joint ventures and create joint strategies. For example, networking between gangs helps with the supply of arms. Gangs not at war with one another trade and co-operate.
Once someone is a member of a gang it is extremely difficult to leave. Leaving might be classed as conspiracy against the gang but only if the gang feel that the ex-gang member may divulge gang secrets or activity, some individuals have left gangs and can freely go about their own business. Ex-members are more likely to be victimised by other gangs.
It is better to work with potential gang members at an early age, say 11 or 12, rather than when they have joined gangs. Schools have a vital role in this.
Education programmes are important. These should not only be targeted at children, but at their teachers to help raise awareness of the issues. There is also a need for programmes educating parents. Also parents and children need to interact more.
Many children feel alienated and cannot communicate their feelings. Education programmes which address this are important.
Being a gang member confers status and financial security. Exit strategies have to provide personal safety, prospects of financial prosperity and status. Strategies also have to be linked to training and education.
Viable alternatives to gang membership have to be available, and one example of this is the radio project that has been set up in Aston, Birmingham.
Pirate radio stations have existed in the area for several years, but constantly get shut down by the police. Each time this happens the equipment gets confiscated and more has to be obtained.
The people involved in the pirate stations wanted a legal outlet for their music, so the radio project has been set up.
The project has 27 people involved in it and went on air at the end of September 2004. The project has helped people to develop careers as DJs, sound engineers, producers and presenters. All this is linked to formal training: due to the hard work of scheme members the station has been awarded a BBC licence.
In the future the project may move into a large building or converted warehouse and plans to expand to provide 12 studios, including recording studios. The project hopes to train enough people to run all 12 studios.
The projects aims to help prevent people joining gangs and to help members who want to leave their gangs. The project helps to train business people and trained technicians.
The project also provides alternative role models. Since the project began there has been a drop in crime in the area.
Growing out of the radio project is a social enterprise project that will help young people become successful in their own community structure.
The project is building a relationship with companies such as British Telecom and may include companies such as British Gas. The plan is to run an enterprise course to teach skills and train people how to run their own businesses.
Skilled tradespeople - plumbers, carpenters and electricians - will be trained in a working setting.
Download the Tackling Gang and Gun Violence PowerPoint presentation (45 Kb)
Last update: 01 December 2004