Ministers unveil action to tackle gangs

Home Secretary Jacqui Smith has promised 5 million pounds to combat violent crime following the success of a project to tackle gangs which led to a 51 percent drop in gun-related injuries.

The extra money will be earmarked for police, local authorities and communities in 10 "hotspots" in England and Wales, to provide for such measures as more stop and search programmes.

Smith also promised action to help provide anonymity for witnesses to gun and gang crimes as soon as they come forward to police.

The plans are based on recommendations from the Tackling Gangs Action Programme (TGAP), headed by senior officer Jon Murphy, which was launched last September to target problems in London, Manchester, Merseyside and Birmingham.

The TGAP project led to a decline in gun offences and related injuries and prompted 124 arrests, while people in the targeted areas reported seeing more police activity where they lived than during the six previous months.

"These early findings are encouraging, which is why I want to spread this approach to knife crime and build on what works. I'm determined that we do all we can to get all weapons off our streets," Smith said on Thursday.

Other planned work will include stopping guns from coming into the country, backing projects which show young people the risk of carrying knives and providing opportunities for those wanting to leave gangs.

In a separate announcement, the government said schools would be given guidance to help them identify early signs of pupils becoming involved in gangs.

"Schools can be an important 'first line of response,' helping us to identify those at risk and provide them with the specialist support they need to resist gang culture," said Children and Young People's Minister Beverley Hughes.

Last year 26 teenagers were killed in London, nine in shooting incidents, and so far this year 13 more have been murdered in the capital alone.

Across the country, there were 566 serious or fatal incidents involving guns, while in London the Metropolitan police estimate there are more than 170 gangs in operation.

Earlier this week, Murphy told a conference of police officers that they were faced with a new type of offender - young, violent males aged about 14 who had access to guns.

They had filled a gap created when police had success in cracking down on older gang members.

He said gun problems were not widespread but acknowledged that a ban on possessing firearms with a mandatory five-year jail sentence had not made any difference.

"It was a well-intentioned piece of legislation but I have to agree (it had not had any effect)," he told the Police Federation conference.

Some of those involved in community projects have also criticised the government for failing to provide long-term funding for their work.

Kirk Dawes, who runs a mentoring and mediation programme in Birmingham which was praised by Smith, told the conference that funding for such services had been cut by a third.

Smith's announcement comes a day after senior judge Igor Judge said the problem of knives was an "escalating and grave" one.

"In our view it is important for public confidence ... that the man or woman caught in possession of a knife or offensive weapon without reasonable excuse should normally be brought before the courts and prosecuted," he said.