Strategic Ambitions for London: Gangs & Serious Youth
Violence
Marie Snelling, Director IOM Programmes and
Neighbourhoods, MOPAC
A little bit of history
• LCRB DMG commissioned the first partnership anti gangs strategy in 2012, which launched in 2013 with
an ambition to annually refresh. There were a
number of key achievements under the first strategy:
• MOPAC and boroughs are sustainably funding 25 gangs projects
through the London Crime Prevention Fund at a value of
approximately £3m per year over the next four years.
• Introduction of a CPS gangs flag and dedicated borough prosecutors.
• Development of a community impact statement and prison impact
statement for use in the secure estate.
• CAMHS and YOT pilots in south and west London – integrating
mental health support into YOTS.
• Girls and Gangs strategic framework published online. This aims to
support partners in improving the identification of and response to
girls at risk.
Refreshing the Strategy
• To oversee the delivery of the strategy, a
Gangs Panel was created in 2013, chaired by
the DMPC.
• To inform the strategy refresh, MOPAC
conducted a literature Review, online survey
and held consultation with partners.
Approximately 320 individuals or organisations
responded.
• These informed the Strategic Ambitions for
London: Gangs & Serious Youth Violence which
was launched at an international Summit in
June
Gangs in London
• The Trident Matrix contains a total of 3,495
individual gang members, of 224 known gangs.
• 70% of the individuals are aged between 17 and 23
years of age
• A total of 93% had a previous sanction, such as
conviction, caution, warning or reprimand
• 61% of gang members have been a victim of any
crime.
• 23% of females and 4% of males identified
themselves as victims of sexual violence or
exploitation within or by gangs (Office of the
Children's Commissioner).
Gang activity in London has changed
G
A
-33%
Inner London GA Flagged
Inner London GA Flagged
Outer London GA Flagged
Outer London GA Flagged
Strategic Ambitions for London: Gangs & Serious
Youth Violence
• To reduce the harm caused by gangs the Strategic Ambitions set out an
approach that focuses on
• 1. Prevention
• 2. Intervention
• 3. Enforcement
Underpinned by:
• Leadership and Coordination
• Performance and Governance
Next steps – Delivering the Strategic
Ambitions & Measuring Success
• Since June, progress has been made in several key delivery
strands including
• Securing £600,000 for specialist youth support in London's
four Major Trauma Centres.
• £460,000 for mental health and safeguarding training
provided to 8,000 professionals across London – including
teachers, youth workers, police officers and health staff – so
they can spot the signs of mental illness and emotional
trauma among both gang members and vulnerable victims.
• London First and MOPAC businesses event – 11 th
September