Responding to Gun and Knife Crime Scutiny Review 10/11
Violent crime continues to be a matter of great concern in the borough and with this review, which concluded in January 2011, we sought to examine how the police and the Council are tackling gun and knife crime specifically. These crimes attract a disproportionate amount of media coverage when they do occur and we set out to establish the extent of the problem and the solutions being employed locally.
Our detailed recommendations encompassed housing, support by third sector organisations, and employment and training provision. We also made a number of specific recommendations to the new multi agency team, the Integrated Gangs Intervention Project which had been established in September 2010. In July 2011 the IGIP team then provided a further update on their progress.
The Commission's final report
The Commissions made 15 recommendations. These areas from housing (both re-housing victims, witnesses and those fleeing gang affiliations as well as re-settlement of offenders), to providing practical support for families of victims, to addressing the specific needs of young women at risk because of gang association, to such issues as designing out crime, to supporting the wide range of third sector organisations active particularly in youth crime reduction, to improving employment and apprenticeship opportunities and to better targeting of youth provision.
Response from the Cabinet Member
Cllr Linden (Cabinet Member for Crime, Sustainability & Customer Services) and Cllr Krishna (Cabinet Member for Children's Services) responded to the recommendations, noting that "We are committed to continuing to work closely with the Police and other agencies to ensure we reach those at risk of offending behaviour, support those victims of gun and knife crime and bring perpetrators to justice". They accepted all 15 recommendations.
What has happened as a result of the review?
In July 2011 officers from the Safer Communities team attended the Commission and provided a very detailed update on the progress which had been made in implementing the recommendations. Obviously a number of the issues raised continue to be discussed and examined by the Commission for example in its discussions with Probation on re-settlement of offenders.
Demonstrating Impact
The Commission recognised the importance of "Influencers" (such as elderly family members or those without access to the internet), so requested that a toolkit be produced to provide these individuals with information needed to support family members in trouble or in danger of gang association. The council has since produced a leaflet called "Young people and gangs - advice for parents and carers"
Page updated: 23 May 2012
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