Posted on November 2, 2011

Britain to Roll Out U.S.-Style Anti-Gang Programs

Fox News, November 1, 2011

Britain will roll out programs pioneered in the United States to tackle gang violence as part of the country’s response to summer riots in which hundreds of young people committed arson, looting and attacks on police officers, the government said Tuesday.

Though a government report released last week showed that fewer than one in 10 people arrested for riot-linked crimes were gang members, Britain’s Home Secretary Theresa May said 10 million pounds ($16 million) would be used to guide young people away from crime in 30 of the country’s worst affected areas.

{snip}

U.S. experts point to the success of public meetings in which police, probation workers, welfare providers and community residents confront gang members, including those yet to be convicted of any crime, and warn of a tough line–while offering help with healthcare and employment for those who turn their backs on violence.

The approach has been credited with delivering sharp drops in gang-related killings in Boston, Chicago and Cincinnati.

{snip}

A national study by the Home Office has estimated that about 6 percent of all boys and girls aged 10 to 19–or around 50,000 people–are members of gangs.

Britain has already pledged to work with 120,000 of the country’s most troubled families, aiming to ensure they and their children are steered away from a life of crime.

{snip}

May also said Britain will spend 1.2 million pounds ($2 million) to help young woman she said are increasingly becoming the victims of gang-related rapes.

Women who are the partners of gang members are being sexually assaulted by those allied with rival gangs, she said.

{snip}