Wednesday 21 February 2007

LONDON GUN PLAGUE

This month has seen the fatal shootings of four Londoners, three of which were in their teens and of Afro-Caribbean ethnicity. James Smartt-Ford, 16, was shot and killed at Streatham ice rink on the 3rd of February. Michael Dosunmu, 15, was murdered in his home in Peckham on the 6th of February. The third teenage killing was of Bill Cox, 15 who was also shot in his home in Clapham on the 14th of February.



The deaths of these black youngsters have catapulted the issue of gun crime in the black community to a national level. Amid claims of this recent wave and a drastic need for solutions, a lot of people are unaware that the black community has been fighting this battle for a long time. Trident was set up by the Metropolitan Police in order to tackle gun crime in the black community almost a decade ago (in 1998). It deeply puzzles me that it is only now the Government has felt the need to intervene, especially at a time when gun crime is actually on the decrease.

Deputy chair of the Metropolitan Police Authority, Cindy Butts was quoted as saying that there was “…..an over-representation of gun crime in black communities.” Possibly this ordeal could be viewed as a moral panic elevated by the media.

Tony Blair remarked "It is about a specific problem within a specific criminal culture to do with guns and gangs, which doesn't make it any less serious, incidentally, but I think it's important therefore that we address that actual issue."
Tony is considering lowering the age of the five year compulsory sentence for carrying a gun to the age of 17, whilst the current age is 21. He has also stated that he is thinking about criminalising gang membership and there will be a summit held tomorrow (22cnd Feb) at Downing Street to further discuss gun crime.

The Conservative party leader, David Cameron responded to the problem by focusing on family values and absent fathers, who he claimed needed to play a part in bringing up their kids.

Sir Menzies Campbell, leader of the Liberal Democrats gave a more profound statement by stating “All young people should feel they have a stake in society - effective schooling, more engaged youth services and better community support are all needed to help young people escape the cycle of deprivation and gang culture."

In your opinion what are the causes of gun crime and what are your suggestions for tackling this problem?



1 comment:

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