Fresh drive in bid to tackle gang culture
DECLAN HARTE
More than 500 youngsters are being helped by police and local groups who want them to break free from gangs and violence.
They will be urged to take part in projects tackling issues such as anger management, as well as sport, music, drama and other activities.
The move, announced yesterday by Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill, forms part of a wider anti-gang drive which led to 6000 people being stopped and searched in March alone.
More than 500 weapons were also seized, and alcohol was confiscated from more than 870 under-age drinkers.
The mixture of "hard-edged" enforcement, programmes to change attitudes, and activities to divert youngsters from gang culture is claimed to be already paying dividends.
Mr MacAskill yesterday visited Operation Reclaim in Springburn, Glasgow, which will receive more than £15,000 to work intensively over a six-month period with 120 known gang members. Earlier this year he announced a £200,000 fund to which police and local bodies could make bids for schemes to tackle gangs and youth disorder.
Mr MacAskill said: "We need to get them (youths) out of the cycle of cheap drink and get them burning up their energy playing football. The next step is to get them into jobs. The hands they have used to pummel each other can be used to build the infrastructure we need in this city for the Commonwealth Games."
Operation Reclaim was set up in 2004 to provide a safe environment for sports after many of the city's large playing fields were deemed to be too dangerous by police.
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Posted by: Scott2006, Outside Glasgow on 3:07am Tue 15 Apr 08
Respect.
The gang members don't have it for authority.
The police don't show respect to the youths.
A group of boys or young men with common experiences - being slighted and picked on by those in positions of power - turn to the 'buzz' of destruction, assertion of masculinity through confrontation, buzz they achieve through petty crime or alcohol excess and estrangement from politicians in nice suits that don't really walk the walk they do. Give a politician a stab proof vest...
The police as brought about by Robert Peel have been around for less than 200 years - gang culture extends back in time further than that.
Could the police learn to use language that conveys the possibility of respect to those they interact with, one more than one occassion they have been lacking respect towards me for no reason.
I've been walking along the street, say Woodlands Road, don't look like i'm in a gang, nor do I know of any gang activity there... unmarked police car stops, plain clothes persons - police officers(?) get out and they already assumed an unpleasant aggressive tone of voice demanding where I had come from... I was rather surprised - is this how public servants address law abiding citizens?
I can understand a situation where you can come to expect a them or us mentality.
The police are deficient and not fully trained to deal with the public.
Respect.
The gang members don't have it for authority.
The police don't show respect to the youths.
A group of boys or young men with common experiences - being slighted and picked on by those in positions of power - turn to the 'buzz' of destruction, assertion of masculinity through confrontation, buzz they achieve through petty crime or alcohol excess and estrangement from politicians in nice suits that don't really walk the walk they do. Give a politician a stab proof vest...
The police as brought about by Robert Peel have been around for less than 200 years - gang culture extends back in time further than that.
Could the police learn to use language that conveys the possibility of respect to those they interact with, one more than one occassion they have been lacking respect towards me for no reason.
I've been walking along the street, say Woodlands Road, don't look like i'm in a gang, nor do I know of any gang activity there... unmarked police car stops, plain clothes persons - police officers(?) get out and they already assumed an unpleasant aggressive tone of voice demanding where I had come from... I was rather surprised - is this how public servants address law abiding citizens?
I can understand a situation where you can come to expect a them or us mentality.
The police are deficient and not fully trained to deal with the public.
Posted by: Bankie, Clydebank on 10:41am Tue 15 Apr 08
SCOT2006
FAIR COMMENT !
Posted by: britfree, camelon on 11:46am Tue 15 Apr 08
people want something to do , let them pick what it is , and facilitate it . common intrests, , boat building ,car construction ,mural painting , whatever . lets have scotland wide competitions in many different fields . there IS such a thing as society but we have to want it enough to pay for it . its either that or endlessly locking up the unskilled de-motivated lonley souls seeking belonging in a pseudo family
people want something to do , let them pick what it is , and facilitate it . common intrests, , boat building ,car construction ,mural painting , whatever . lets have scotland wide competitions in many different fields . there IS such a thing as society but we have to want it enough to pay for it . its either that or endlessly locking up the unskilled de-motivated lonley souls seeking belonging in a pseudo family
Posted by: allymax, yuk on 8:32pm Wed 16 Apr 08
MacAskill has more of a job trying to fight the establishment organisations, (crown office/pf's, and the police), from oppressing the scots populace.
the establishment are not interested in being fair; if Scoland gets independence the yuk will lose half its land-mass, 65% of ita gdp, and the queen won't have a holiday resort anymore. it's obvious that the westminster government has ordered anfiolini and the keystones to come down hard on the Scots so as to criminalise us. Why? Well, if we are led to believe that we are nation of criminals, how can we expect ourselves to self-govern a nation? we couldn't, and this is why angiolini has pu into force her dreaded universial zero-tolerance' policy where everybody gets a charge at some point in their life.
It's not fair, and it wasn't like that 20 years ago; when we first began to go for independence. The english have always oppressed, subordinated, and abused other colonies so as to hjold them in its clutches. The police are part of the establishment, as is angiolini, scotland's supposed lord advocate, (lord advocate means english crown representative in scotland).
Independence as soon as possible, and we can get rid of the nasty oppressive establishment and their ways.
MacAskill has more of a job trying to fight the establishment organisations, (crown office/pf's, and the police), from oppressing the scots populace.
the establishment are not interested in being fair; if Scoland gets independence the yuk will lose half its land-mass, 65% of ita gdp, and the queen won't have a holiday resort anymore. it's obvious that the westminster government has ordered anfiolini and the keystones to come down hard on the Scots so as to criminalise us. Why? Well, if we are led to believe that we are nation of criminals, how can we expect ourselves to self-govern a nation? we couldn't, and this is why angiolini has pu into force her dreaded universial zero-tolerance' policy where everybody gets a charge at some point in their life.
It's not fair, and it wasn't like that 20 years ago; when we first began to go for independence. The english have always oppressed, subordinated, and abused other colonies so as to hjold them in its clutches. The police are part of the establishment, as is angiolini, scotland's supposed lord advocate, (lord advocate means english crown representative in scotland).
Independence as soon as possible, and we can get rid of the nasty oppressive establishment and their ways.
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