We've got a fight on our hands to deal with gangs

Published on Thursday 24 June 2010 11:04

As a helpline is launched for parents worried about their children being caught up in gang culture, VICTORIA RAIMES investigates what's happening

IT IS a startling statistic. Over the course of just two months, 1,400 offences linked to gangs of youths were recorded in Edinburgh. That's 23 incidents, including assaults, vandalism and antisocial behaviour, every single day.

But even more startling is the fact that the figure actually represents a 34 per cent drop on the previous year.

It's a sign that police are making inroads into tackling the issues around gang culture but also a stark indication of how far there is to go.

Lothian and Borders Police have now formed a partnership with Edinburgh-based charity Children 1st to create a helpline for parents who suspect their children may be caught up in gangs.

Operating as part of the ParentLine helpline and funded by a 30,000 grant from the government, it will offer advice on how to steer youngsters away from trouble.

Youth worker Dot Horne, director of the City Youth Cafe on Victoria Terrace, has hands-on experience of the problem. Every night she welcomes up to 70 teenagers through her doors, some of whom are currently – or have in the past been – in trouble for group antisocial behaviour.

Two years ago the 45-year-old and her staff were involved in a government-funded project with 23 gang culture teens that allowed them to understand and deal with some of the issues that lead to unruly behaviour and crime.

She said: "You see a lot of youths hanging out in the city centre. Young people like to gather and they have ideas about being part of a gang. A couple of years ago we approached a number of teens on Princes Street, 12 boys and 11 girls. The mix was interesting. Boys tended to have financial and emotional problems and rough backgrounds, but this wasn't the case with the girls. We can only assume that they were going for a bit of excitement and were drawn by the 'bad boy' persona."

In fact, girl gangs seem to be more common in Edinburgh than elsewhere. Research shows that teenage females are far more likely to join and actively participate in antisocial groups across the Capital than in Glasgow.

While girls in the west will often carry weapons for teenage boys or will encourage them to engage in antisocial behaviour, those in Edinburgh are more likely to be violent and intimidating as gang leaders or key participants.

Superintendent John Hawkins, who heads Lothian's antisocial behaviour division, said: "There isn't a lot of organised violence in Edinburgh, but a lot of people cause trouble when they drink or get bored.

"You do find, though, that there are more girls in gangs in Edinburgh.

"While we're encouraged by the drop in numbers, there are young people who time and time again are committing antisocial behaviour."

Susan McVie, a criminologist at the University of Edinburgh who has conducted several studies on youth crime and Edinburgh gang culture since 1998, said she believed there could be more gang crime happening across the Capital than has been officially recorded.

She said: "If you look at the political agenda, there was a stronger focus on youth crime when Labour was in power. There was less of a focus under the SNP, so people reported less and now people have become desensitised to some incidents, in a way.

"However, it is definitely fair to say there are less serious incidents now. Policing in Edinburgh is quite effective and they tend to break the bigger gangs up to smaller clusters. There are a smaller group of gangs which get involved in real violence, knife crime or theft, but they are few."

Since March, police have introduced new methods of dealing with gang crime, including a Safer Neighbourhood team that meets with residents in wards across Edinburgh south and east every six to eight weeks to identify key problems in each community. Responses to gang crimes have included activity sessions and the formation of youth groups, and police are hoping to roll out the scheme across the rest of the Capital in September.

So while 23 crimes a day may seem like a startling statistic, all the signs are that things are moving in the right direction.

The City Youth Cafe worked with the Princes Street group for eight weeks, and tried a number of tactics to steer them away from trouble. Two years after the project and nearly all of the teens who took part – now young adults – still go back to say hello.

Ms Horne said: "I think the fact we engaged them with so many different mediums – programmes, demonstrations, group discussions – made dealing with them successful.

"And they had respect for us after we approached them on the street. We weren't intimidated and we didn't avoid them, which caught their attention."

She added: "You don't find gangs go out to cause trouble, but if they stumble across it, they will automatically get involved. If you can get them to think about the consequences, that's half the battle won."

HELP AT HAND FOR WORRIED PARENTS

SPECIALLY trained ParentLine Scotland call-takers are now on hand to help parents worried that their children have become involved in gangs.

Alison Todd, director of Children and Family Services for Children 1st, which runs ParentLine, said: "We know from the calls we get that a lot of parents are worried that their child's friends may be having a negative influence on them and also that some may be involved in gangs.

"In many cases those fears are unfounded, but that doesn't stop them worrying. Our helpline will give parents the chance to talk to someone about how they're feeling and to offer them reassurance and guidance if a problem does arise."

The service operates as part of the usual ParentLine Scotland number (0808 800 2222) and e-mail service ([e-mail]).