PRESS RELEASE

Gang violence will come under the spotlight at a one day conference to be held in Glasgow by the national Violence Reduction Unit (VRU).

The Working With Collective Violence conference, which will be held at the Barony Hall, Strathclyde University, on Wednesday, November 28, will bring together leading policymakers and practitioners to discuss how to tackle the issues surrounding gang and group violence.

Among the key speakers at the event will be Fergus Ewing, Minister for Community Safety.

He said: “Most young people are not involved in crime or antisocial behaviour. And there’s nothing wrong with them gathering to meet friends. But the sight of gangs of young people – often standing drinking, shouting and causing a nuisance – is a familiar sight in too many of our communities. There is no doubt that this type of peer pressure can lead to impressionable young people carrying a weapon or being enticed into a life of violence.

“We need to put an end to the idea that being in a gang and indulging in random violence is glamorous. It’s dangerous and it prevents young people from fulfilling their potential. That’s why we’re working to tackle the root causes of drink, drugs and deprivation – as well as working to provide young people with more choices and more chances to offer a real alternative to life in a gang. I hope this conference can help us to identify further work that can help tackle this culture.”

Also speaking at the event will be Michael Hankinson, Operations Director of the Prince’s Trust, Andy Jukes of the Leap Gangs and Territorialism Project and Sheriff Norrie Stein, patron of Arbroath’s award-winning CAFÉ Project, which aims to offer young people realistic alternatives to potentially damaging lifestyle choices.

Manchester’s Multi Agency Gangs Strategy will also be discussed at the event. The strategy has helped former gang members from some of the city’s toughest estates.

Safer Scotland co-ordinator Chief Inspector Andy McKay said: “Let’s be clear, most young people in Scotland are not involved in group violence or disorder. But we need to offer those few who are on the cusp of entering this lifestyle other options, while those who are already involved need to be offered a way out.

“We also want to get communities involved – they are the ones who see this kind of violence beginning, unfolding and happening on their doorsteps every day. They are the ones who have to live with the consequences of that violence and they are the ones who can help to nip it in the bud long term.

“The term collective violence covers a wide range of violent activity where people act together – be they a long established gang arranging fights via the internet, football hooligans or a group acting together in a spontaneous, unorganised way. But whatever they do and whichever of these categories they fall into, we will not tolerate their behaviour.”

The conference is the latest event in this year’s anti-violence campaign, co-ordinated by the Violence Reduction Unit under the Safer Scotland banner. The next phase will see a blitz launched on alcohol-related violence throughout December.

A nationwide crackdown on gang and group violence will begin in March 2008.
The campaign will focus on encouraging communities to work together with the police to make our streets safer. This will be driven by linking up with community based organisations to deliver initiatives on group or gang violence.

There will also be a drive to engage and empower parents to take action to prevent violence.