Event on how to combat gang violence

A public event which will feature a workshop on gangs and violence is set to take place next month.

Proud of Southwark will be held at Walworth Academy, south London on December 3, with an aim of letting the public give their opinions on why people join gangs and how to combat violence.

The event is a partnership between Safer Southwark Partnership and local community organisations, with support from the Metropolitan Police's Trident and other organisations. Also set to be at the event will be the Metropolitan Black Police Association and the African Caribbean Leukaemia Trust.

Those who attend are being urged to take part in a live debate about young people and crime in Southwark. Among those supporting the event is Detective chief superintendent Stuart Cundy, head of Trident.

He believes it is possible to stop gun crime in the Black community but it needs the support of the community to work with the police as they alone cannot put an end to shootings and gang-related crimes.

"Shootings can be stopped, but not by police alone. In Brent, the local community took a lead, working hand in hand with the police and local authority. Hackney has developed a positive and joint response to gangs, with Trident enforcement backed up with engagement and education. Why is a young black man rightly hailed a hero if he steps in and stops an elderly lady being mugged, but labelled a ‘snitch’ if he assists police as a witness to a shooting? If witnesses are unwilling through fear then we must turn the tables. Trident can and does protect witnesses. Success is when communities work with us, putting the gunmen, not the witness in fear.”

Anyone interested in attending the visit should click here for more details.