An operation spearheaded by a newly-formed Trident Gang Crime Command marks the beginning of a step change in how the Metropolitan Police Service tackles gang crime in the capital and forms a key part of the Commissioner Bernard Hogan-Howe’s ‘total war on crime’.
Hundreds of police officers took part in an operation yesterday which saw suspected gang members being pursued for a series of crimes, including assault, robbery and drugs supply, the aim being to prevent young people from being killed or seriously injured.
One thousand officers will now be dedicated to tackling gang crime in London with the creation of a central Trident Gang Crime Command as well as the introduction of local task forces across London. The new command will retain responsibility for the prevention and investigation of shootings, but will now work more closely with London Boroughs to proactively tackle gang crime.
The new command will be enhanced with additional specialist resources from the Met, including Operation Connect and the Serious and Organised Crime Command (SCD7). It will take responsibility for real-time monitoring of gang activity across London and work with new ‘Grip and Pace’ Centres to co-ordinate and task corporate resources (both overt and covert) quickly and at the relevant places.
Logistics of the new operation
19 priority London Boroughs will have dedicated gang crime task forces to deal with local gang crime, and will work with their partners to implement diversion and prevention activities.
Other London Boroughs and specialist commands will also be required to have more of a focus on gang crime.
The new approach builds on the good work already seen in the Met and ensures all the expertise and skills in the service are brought together and used in a more targeted and effective way. It will see better and more consistent use of intelligence to identify and prioritise the most harmful gangs and gang members while also spotting young people on the periphery who can be referred to other agencies for help in keeping away from crime.
“This is a step change in how we tackle gang crime in London,” said Bernard Hogan-Howe. “It will allow us to identify and relentlessly pursue the most harmful gangs and gang members. It will help us identify young people on the periphery of gangs and work with partners to divert them away.”
The Commissioner continued: “Although we are now nearly doubling the number of officers dedicated to tackling gang crime, the police cannot do this alone. It is vital we work with the public, local authorities, charities and other agencies to prevent young people from joining gangs in the first place.”
Statistics: the scale of the problem
According to Metropolitan Police Service intelligence systems there are an estimated 250 active criminal gangs in London comprising around 4,800 people. Of these gangs, 62 are considered as high harm and commit two thirds of all gang-related crime.
The gangs range from organised criminal networks involved in Class A drugs supply and firearms through to street-based gangs involved in violence and personal robbery. This relatively small number of people is responsible for approximately 22% of serious violence, 17% of all robbery, 50% of shootings and 14% of rapes in London.
Gangs exist in and around all parts of the capital but are more prevalent in about 19 London Boroughs. They are made up of mainly young people, aged between 18 and 24 years, but officers have seen even younger children involved in (or on the periphery of) gangs.
Commissioner Hogan-Howe added: “The majority of young people in London are law-abiding, good citizens who make a positive contribution to our communities. However, there are still too many young people who are, or could get involved in gangs. We want to prevent young people from getting involved in gang offending so we and other agencies are offering ways out to support them. However, those who refuse our offer of help will be pursued and brought to justice.”
The Commissioner explained: “Getting involved in gangs can ruin a young person’s life. With a criminal record it can be harder to get a job or into further education, while being involved in violence can lead to someone being arrested, sent to prison, seriously injured or even killed. We’re not concerned with peer groups or just friends who may ‘hang around’ and we have no intention of criminalising an entire generation. Our focus is on violence and criminal behaviour associated with gangs and gang members.”
Combating shootings in London
DCS Stuart Cundy, OCU commander for the new Trident Gang Crime Command, added: “Since its launch in 2000, Trident has developed its expertise in combating shootings in London and, in recent years, Trident has become more and more focused on tackling gangs across London.”
Cundy went on to state: “The Met is now building on the proven successes of Trident and other units. This new approach is a significant change for Trident as it leads the Met’s response to gang crime, but rest assured Trident will remain focused on preventing and investigating all shootings in London, regardless of the victim’s or perpetrator’s background.”
Trident was launched with a strong community partnership, and DCS Cundy intends to reduce gang crime and improve community support “for what we do and what we want to achieve, namely protecting some of our most vulnerable victims and communities in London.”
In a massive show of strength the Commissioner and Mayor of London Boris Johnson were joined by dozens of police officers, community workers, council leaders and relatives of people killed in gang crime in a team photograph that was very much a public demonstration against gang crime in London.
Ingrid Adams, mother of Negus McClean who was murdered last year, attended yesterday’s event in Trafalgar Square. She pledged her support to the Met’s renewed approach and said: “I go to bed thinking of Negus and wake up thinking about him. I will always remember his smile. Even if a child isn’t in a gang they probably know someone who is in a gang or is affiliated with a gang. The police need to start with children very early. When I was growing up the police used to come into my school. You have to start young and talk to them to gain their trust. I know there is a problem with so-called snitching and loyalties, but keeping quiet isn’t helping the problem.”
Adams continued: “There is this wall of silence that needs to be broken down. They need to come forward to talk to the police. The wall of silence needs to stop. Since Negus there has been so many others. Negus was murdered on a Sunday: it was a bright sunny day. It could happen to anybody. This problem doesn’t just affect the poor, people from broken homes or gang members: it could happen to anyone.”
Comment from the Mayor of London
Mayor of London Boris Johnson said: “We’ve been attacking gangs from all angles. Now the Met has a concerted and determined push to take out the ring-leaders and tempt impressionable youngsters away from this destructive life. I made it clear when appointing a new Met Police Commissioner that this was the top crime priority for our city, a view shared by Bernard Hogan-Howe. This is gang crime being tackled head on.”
Claudia Webbe, joint chair of the Trident Independent Advisory Group (IAG), explained: “With community support it has taken Trident over ten years to develop its current specialism in the prevention and investigation of gun related murders and shootings in London. In seeking to expand the remit and success of Trident to reduce gang violence we are reassured that the Metropolitan Police Service will avoid the oversimplification of the term ‘gang’ and will work with partners to protect some of the most vulnerable sections of London’s communities.”
In conclusion, Webbe outlined: “Building community trust and confidence is an important part of Trident’s success in bringing offenders to justice, and we, the Trident Independent Advisory Group, look forward to continued work with the Met towards effective community engagement and support of Trident.”
Commissioner Hogan-Howe also stated: “My commitment is to reduce gang-related crime in London to help keep communities safe. We’ll do this by taking tough action against gang members and working with others to divert young people away from this destructive path.”
London Boroughs under scrutiny
The 19 ‘key’ London Boroughs are Brent, Croydon, Ealing, Enfield, Greenwich, Hackney, Haringey, Islington, Lambeth, Lewisham, Newham, Southwark, Tower Hamlets, Waltham Forest, Wandsworth, Westminster, Camden, Kensington & Chelsea and Hammersmith & Fulham.
