Street project helps reduce violent gang crime in Glasgow

Published on Wednesday 16 December 2009 14:33

A PROJECT to tackle gang culture in Scotland's biggest city has seen an "encouraging" drop in violence, it was announced today.

• There are around 55 street gangs in Glasgow's east end

The Community Initiative to Reduce Violence (CIRV) aims to help young people in Glasgow's east end change their lifestyles by offering alternatives to crime.

The two-year initiative is based on similar projects in Boston and Cincinnati in the US.

In the first year of the project in Glasgow, 368 gang members signed up to it. Violence amongst them has dropped 49.2%.

And recorded violence among gang members who refused to take part in CIRV dropped by 18.5%.

Officials welcomed the figures but said there was a long way to go.

Chief Inspector Robert Stevenson, who heads CIRV on behalf of the Violence Reduction Unit, said: "We're very cautious about this. The evidence is that while results were positive in the US, as soon as they took their foot off the gas the gang violence levels were straight back up again.

"So unless we do this for a number of years we are going to find ourselves in the same position as in the US.

"Gangs are an everyday part of life in the east end going back 60 or 70 years, some of the youngsters are in the same gang as their older brother, father or grandfather.

"The results are encouraging but it has not solved the problem."

Around 55 street gangs are established in Glasgow's east end, with a total of between 600 and 700 members.

The gang members are approached by CIRV street level workers and are invited to attend a self-referral session at Glasgow Sheriff Court.

At the session, groups of different gangs meet a senior police officer, an A&E consultant, members of their community and the parent of a victim.

They are then told that if any of them, including gang members not present, assaults or murders someone, police will pursue the whole group and not just the individual.

Gang members are then given the phone number of a "one-stop shop" where they are given help to receive education, health services, careers advice and social services.

So far 222 gang members have attended the five sessions at the court, and 368 have engaged with CIRV.

Those taking part in the 5 million project are aged from mid teens into early 20s.

The project is now being extended into north Glasgow.

One of those taking part is David, 18, (not his real name) who started drinking and fighting in the street aged around 13, sometimes carrying a knife. He lost his job because he was charged with assault but then joined the CIRV project.

"A lot of people doubted me. They doubted I would stick it. But I didn't care what they thought because I knew inside I was going to do this, to get on, sort myself out, get a job, a motor, maybe my own place," he said.

Police said that five years ago a gang fight would take place every day in the east end but are now "an exception."

Justice Secretary Kenny Macaskill said: "The achievements to date have been excellent. There are some who are embedded in a career of crime and don't want to change and they will face the full weight of the law.

"But it's important we give kids an opportunity to be all they can be and we have given them an opportunity to improve."