Speeches and Statements

Speech by the Home Secretary about the Tackling Gangs Action Programme

This speech was given by Home Secretary Jacqui Smith in June 2008.

I’m delighted to welcome you all to this very special event to celebrate the work of the Tackling Gangs Action Programme and to review the progress we are making together against violent crime.

First and foremost, I want to thank you all for the dedication and commitment you are showing to delivering real results on the streets of Birmingham, London, Liverpool and Manchester.

And I also want to thank Hazel Blears, Patricia Scotland and Beverley Hughes – our very own gang of ministers – for being here today as well.

TGAP and its success

I set up the programme last September to answer a very specific need in our country – the growing number of street gangs in the four cities I mentioned.  The Met had identified 171 separate gangs in London alone, and there were worrying signs of gang violence elsewhere.

I wanted to focus attention on the problem, identify what we needed to do, and target expertise and resources to make sure that we took action to make a difference.

I did this with the strong conviction that we could bear down successfully on gun crime and gang violence – that we could take some of the heat out of the gang hotspots. 

Because I don’t accept for one moment the idea that Britain is broken – that there’s nothing we can do to defend our communities, protect young people and come down hard on those who use violence or the threat of violence to get their way.

And I don’t think anyone in this room would disagree.

Good work being done already

We know that gun and gang crime is a localised problem.  We know where, and to whom, it causes most harm. And on the evidence of our work over the last nine months, we know that we can beat it.

We’ve seen a big increase in police action to target gangs – like the day of action last November and the month of action in March, leading to more than 200 arrests and the seizure of dozens of real firearms and literally thousands of realistic imitation firearms.

We’ve seen gun-related injuries fall by just over half – by 51% – in the TGAP areas, to their lowest level for two years.

And we’ve been able to bring together the best of the work that’s already being done, so that others can put those lessons into practice in their areas as well.

There is some excellent work going on:

• the mentoring and mediation work being done in Birmingham, to help young people turn their backs on the gang lifestyle
• Operation Staysafe in Merseyside, to take those who are at immediate risk off the streets to a place of safety
• the joint enforcement operations Greater Manchester Police are doing with Trading Standards to recover imitation weapons
• and the way the Met is getting parents to live up to their responsibilities and take more control if their kids are found associating with those involved in serious street violence

These approaches, and many more, are reflected in the 50 recommendations emerging from the Tackling Gangs Action Programme.

Taken together, they add up to an anti-gang manifesto for the police, local authorities, CDRPs and other local partners to make a difference on the ground.

Future policy

And there is more than we can do in central government to match your commitment to the programme. One issue comes up time and again – protecting the identity of witnesses so that they can give evidence safely.

In many gun and gang crimes, witnesses know that defendants and their associates have access to firearms and are prepared to use them.

We cannot tolerate a situation where witnesses are too scared to come forward, where they are denied the right to access the courts and give evidence free from fear.

In some cases, the prosecution has successfully applied for witness anonymity – meaning that there is no risk of identification, whilst still ensuring cross-examination by the defence.

Anonymity should only be used in exceptional cases – such as the tragic murders of Letisha Shakespeare and Charlene Ellis.  And where it is used, I believe it can help to re-balance the scales of justice for the witness without undermining the rights of the defendant.  

As part of a programme of training for police and partner agencies starting later this year, we’ll introduce new measures to give potential witnesses early certainty that their identity will be protected – and to make sure they get the support they need to give evidence safely.

I also want to do more with civil injunctions to stop gang members from meeting each other or going to certain areas.

Birmingham a pioneer

Birmingham has pioneered their use – and while we await the appeal against the courts judgement from June to decide what action we might take, let me say this. I am fully convinced of the value of using these sorts of injunctions to help young people change their negative behaviour, and I will ensure that local authorities have the powers they need to support their work in this area.

As Beverley will set out today, supporting parents and families is another major plank of government work to prevent young people getting involved in crime.  To assist that work, later this year we will publish a leaflet to help parents and carers spot possible gang behaviours and give them advice on what do to about it.

And another example of the sort of joint action I’m keen to encourage is the way the police have worked closely with the immigration authorities – now the UK Border Agency – on Operation Swale, identifying offenders who cause serious harm to the community and who could be removed from the country under immigration powers. 

We are also looking at ways to reduce the level of glamour associated with carrying and using weapons.  The Byron Review of violence on the internet and in video games has been an important contribution here, as has the inquiry into harmful content conducted by the cross-party Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee.

Nine months on, the breadth of activity that the programme has tapped into is impressive.

And I want the programme to keep up its support for you and keep up the momentum against gun and gang violence.

In recognition of your achievements made so far – and in the expectation that together we can deliver further progress – I am today injecting a further £1m of funding to sustain the tackling gangs action programme's drive on guns and gangs.

Sharpening the focus on knives

But for all these efforts, for all the lessons that we have learned from the success of TGAP in tackling gangs, we must now open up a further front in the fight against violent crime.

We must sharpen our focus and sharpen our resolve against the carrying and use of knives.

Last week, in Elephant & Castle, I saw the Met put Operation Blunt 2 into action – using intensive stop and search and positive charging to crack down on knife possession.

We have already funded 350 search wands and 18 search arches across the four TGAP areas, and ACPO and I agree that we should extend across the country the Met’s uncompromising approach to charging any adult caught with a knife.

I welcome the words of Sir Igor Judge in the Court of Appeal yesterday that those 'caught in possession of a knife or offensive weapon without reasonable excuse should normally be brought before the courts and prosecuted.'

And I echo his words: 'even if the offender does no more than carry the weapon, even when the weapon is not used to threaten or cause fear, when considering the seriousness of the offence courts should bear in mind the harm which the weapon might foreseeably have caused.'

As Sir Igor says, 'the message is stark. This is a serious offence and it should be treated with the seriousness it deserves.'

So I have no hesitation in setting how today what more I will do to make sure knife possession is treated with the seriousness it deserves.

Building on the success of TGAP, we will identify the ten areas where knife crime is causing the most harm. And we will commit £2m to concerted action that will enable the police and other front-line agencies to intensify their activities.

As have said, we will work with the police and CPS to extend the Met’s approach to charging.

• ad we will provide additional search equipment and encourage the use of targeted stop and search, particularly on public transport
• and we will encourage the police and their partners to visit the homes of young people who have got into the knife-carrying habit, so that their parents know what’s going on and what could happen to them
• I don’t want young people carrying knives in the first place. So in these areas we will accelerate our work with groups like Be Safe, who hold workshops with young people to get them to understand just how serious the consequences of carrying a knife can be
• Together with the Youth Justice Board, we are developing a referral project, so that anyone convicted of carrying a knife will undergo a weapons awareness workshop as part of their sentence 
• And as part of the Youth Crime Action Plan, to be published shortly, I can confirm that there will be a further £1m to fund action related to young people and knives

Knife crime marketing campaign

Next week, we launch a three-year marketing campaign to raise awareness of youth knife crime, with £1m in its first year.

As the mother of a teenager myself, I know that it sometimes doesn’t feel that you’re listened to. But all the research tells us that when it comes to the issue of knives, young people respect their mothers more than you might think.

Mums have a big influence on helping their kids to make the right choice – and we need to help mums to talk to their kids about the dangers of carrying a knife.

The vast majority of young people don’t carry knives. But my message to mums is clear – don’t take the chance. Carrying a knife can lead to fatal consequences – and it doesn’t have to happen.

So talk it over with your kids. Understand the pressures they’re under, and do what you can to change the perception that ‘everyone is doing it.’

They aren’t.

Point out the dangers. They’ll listen. Give them support, the advice and the dose of good old-fashioned commonsense they need – and they’ll thank you for it.

Conclusion

I want to end my remarks today with a huge thank you to you all for what you’ve achieved so far.   

You’ve shown that we can make a difference, that we can turn the tide of gang violence in the hotspots of our cities.

I know your commitment. I’ve seen it in action. I’ve seen the results. And as I hope I’ve made clear today, I will continue to back your efforts.

And just as we have made some good in-roads into gang violence, so we need to apply those lessons where we can elsewhere. The package I’ve set out today – £5m to support the Tackling Gangs Action Programme, and extend the breadth and depth of our activities to bear down on the menace of knives – will go some way to making this happen.

But, ultimately, it’s you and your colleagues that we will rely on to lead these efforts and make our streets and communities safer for all.