Manchester City Council Citizenship and Inclusion Overview and Scrutiny Committee
Item 7 4 February 2009
COMMITTEE: DATE: REPORT OF:
Citizenship and Inclusion Overview and Scrutiny 4th February 2009 Maureen Noble, Head of Crime and Disorder Laureen Donnan, Assistant Director, Children’s Services Guns and Gangs
SUBJECT:
1 Introduction
The purpose of the report is to provide information to the committee and contribute to the workstream on the following points: • • • • partnership working to address gun and gang violence and the effect it has on public confidence innovative approaches taken through the Manchester Multi Agency Gangs Strategy and team statistics for gun crime across Manchester report on success of Operation Cougar
Whilst gun crime remains a small proportion of overall crime in Manchester, its impact is felt deeply and it has a negative effect on public confidence and perceptions of safety. The gun/gang issue has a high profile in the City and has been the subject of increased and specific focus from government over the last 12 months. During this time the Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership (CDRP) and Children’s Services have worked closely together to further develop our multi-agency gang strategy and to embed understanding of the problem across key agencies. We recognise the need for a co-ordinated, evidence based response to gun/gang issues across crime and disorder, criminal justice and children’s service who each have a role to play supporting the outcomes of the violent gang strategy. The issue of gun/gang violence is not new to the City – it has existed in some form over the past 20 or more years. During this time we have worked very closely with communities, particularly those in the Metropolitan Police Division to support and establish specific services and responses and to increase our understanding of the drivers and manifestations of the problem. Over the last three years there have been a number of high profile cases of younger people becoming involved in gang violence that has increased the focus on the problem both locally and nationally. For the last year the national escalation of gun crime, particularly with young people created a specialist development team, Tackling Guns Action Programme (T-GAP) across the core cities affected. Prior to the initiation of T-GAP from central government, Manchester had established a joint Violent Gangs Board with colleagues in Trafford, in recognition of the cross boundary issue. The remit of the Board is to oversee the development and delivery of an integrated, strategic approach with the ultimate aim to eradicate gang violence. Plans are emerging to build upon effective practice and also to engage local communities. The requirements to deliver Integrated Youth Support and targeted Youth Support IYS and TYS will be a key component of this, as will the management and rehabilitation of offenders. Key however is the commitment to a continuing programme of high visibility surveillance and enforcement.
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Manchester City Council Citizenship and Inclusion Overview and Scrutiny Committee 1.1.1 For the purpose of the report the following definitions are applied:
Item 7 4 February 2009
MMAGS define a gang as; a group of three or more people who have a distinct identity (e.g. a name or badge/emblem), which commits general criminal or anti-social behaviour as part of that identity, and uses (or is reasonably suspected of using) firearms or the threat of firearms in the commission of offences. Violent Gangs are defined as those identified through effective intelligence, historical assessments and by associations linked to violent criminal activity. On reported firearms incidents for national data the criteria applied also include incidents where a firearm is sighted or used as a blunt instrument. Local information specifies an actual discharge of a weapon
Total firearms offences and fatalities (including non gang related offences)
2005/6 Firearms Offences Greater Manchester Merseyside West Midlands London Region England & Wales total 1200 485 946 3884 11088 Firearms Fatalities 5 1 5 22 49 Firearms Offences 993 410 979 3331 9645
2006/7 Firearms Fatalities 4 5 3 29 59
Proportionally, London, Manchester, West Midlands and Merseyside have the highest recorded offences per 100,000 of population respectively (06/07 data). Data relating specifically to the T-GAP (Tackling Gangs Action Programme) cities is not directly comparable but indicates Manchester’s relative progress: In London, gun crime fell by 21.7% in the 12 months to the end of July 08; in Manchester since February 08 there has been a 90% reduction in gun-related discharges whilst Liverpool has seen a reduction from 63 to 45 offences in the period April to August 2008 compared to the previous year. In 2008, 40% of all firearms discharges in GMP occurred in the Metropolitan (B) division. The same area is also responsible for using 30% of GMP firearms authorities and operations. Firearms discharges for Manchester and Metropolitan (B) division Metropolitan (B) Division Firearms Discharges 54 48 43 39 55 11 27 GMP Total 131 114 109 120 146 64
2003 / 2004 2004 / 2005 2005 / 2006 2006 / 2007 2007 / 2008 2008/2009*
*Data does not contain full year
Manchester City Council Citizenship and Inclusion Overview and Scrutiny Committee
Item 7 4 February 2009
Recorded firearm offences per 100,000 population (2006/07 data)
50 40 30 20 10 0 London region Greater Manchester West Midlands Merseyside England and Wales average 44 39 28 30 18
2.0 2.1
Manchester Gangs There are a large number of known gang factions (approximately 25) in Manchester all of which align themselves to either the Gooch or Doddington gangs. These two gangs, which originated on the Alexandra Park estate during the 1980s, are well –established. The majority of Manchester gang activity occurs in the inner south Manchester area. Despite the focus on gangs’ firearms activity, this makes up only a small part of their criminal behaviour. Gang members typically commit drug offences, robbery, burglary, and car crime, bringing fear and distress to the neighbourhoods in which they operate. Although other parts of Greater Manchester do experience some firearms incidents, the particular characteristics of gang related shootings – occurring in residential areas, often causing indiscriminate damage to properties or individuals, leads to there being a disproportionate impact on specific communities and neighbourhoods. Partnership In 2001 Manchester developed and established the Manchester Multi Agency Gang Strategy to respond to gun and gang related crime. The MMAGS team is comprised of a range of dedicated specialist staff from partner agencies including GMP, Connexions, Probation, Housing, Youth Offending and Children’s services together with outreach workers and mentors. The team is an important part of the Crime and Disorder Unit. In 2007 it was recognised that a strategic lead was required to address the situation of shared boundaries given the location of Manchester based gangs to Trafford. A joint board was established with a clear strategy to challenge, undermine and eradicate violent gang culture in Manchester and Trafford:
2.2
2.3
3. 3.1
• • • • •
Reduce harm caused by violent gang activity Gain a greater understanding of violent gang activity, specifically associated with firearms, why people get involved in it and identify the most effective interventions to prevent it occurring, respond to and recover from the harm it causes Commission services across the voluntary and statutory sector that effectively target interventions on those involved in gang activity and reduce those emerging into the gang culture Develop the capacity in diverse communities to provide resilience to prevent this activity and protect their community, the families and individuals within it from the harm caused by violent gang activity Build and maintain confidence in communities that they, in partnership with public agencies, can effectively prevent and tackle violent gang activity 28
Manchester City Council Citizenship and Inclusion Overview and Scrutiny Committee 3.2
Item 7 4 February 2009
The board shares a brief in two local authority areas so in order to maintain a level of ownership locally at a chief officer level Manchester established its own Violent Gangs Board which now meets bi monthly. Manchester’s board is currently chaired by the divisional commander of the metropolitan (B) Division and includes the Lead Member for Crime and Disorder along with senior officers from YOS, Children’s Services, and CDRP. Communication of activities relating to gun and gang crime has been devolved to the Manchester board and this is supported by use of an existing CDRP communications group providing expertise in this area. However given the specific locality of the issue and experience of community campaigners in Manchester we continue to support community based campaigns to reinforce the message, “Enough is Enough” The CDRP has engaged in a number of promotional projects and events with representatives from the communities including high profile campaigns such as “Dodge the bullet” campaign and Peace Week 2008. Community groups play an important role in addressing gun and gang issues and particularly in finding innovative ways to prevent young people becoming involved in gang activity.
3.3
4. 4.1
Innovation in our response The MMAGS team is recognised nationally as working effectively with gang members and being successful at engaging them in work whether on a statutory or voluntary basis. The team has just been awarded the Butler Trust’s prestigious Lord Woolf Award for partnership working. The team carry out a wide range of activities as part of Manchester’s approach to addressing gun and gang crime including :
•
• • • • • • • • •
4.2
Safe guarding arrangements for those identified as at risk. This may include such measures as relocation of the individual or families and is undertaken following safeguarding procedures devised under the auspices of the Manchester Safeguarding Children Board Cognitive behavioural programmes such as Above and Beyond, which was commissioned by MMAGS, for offenders in prison and YOI ( Young Offender Institute) Group engagement following significant incidents and providing low level mediation to gang members 8 ‘til late project providing intensive mentoring to children in primary school Reclaim providing mentoring to young people from 12 –16 Esteem Through Sport mentoring and motivational activities in Manchester Academy Seminar for Head Teachers to disseminate DCSF guidance on addressing gang issues in school Schools based liaison officer as part of safer schools partnership School days working with whole year groups in Manchester High Schools Providing an information request service
Other new tactics in order to disrupt gang activity, prevent young people becoming involved and to protect the public include:
• •
Emergency police protection orders to remove individuals from areas when intelligence is such that threat to the individual is high. Introduction of a letter to be distributed by officers to the parents of any young person that may have been returned home suspected of being in danger of engaging in gang activity.
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Manchester City Council Citizenship and Inclusion Overview and Scrutiny Committee
Item 7 4 February 2009
• • • •
•
5. 5.1
Officers from Xcalibre unit patrol with regular officers on the division and continually confront known members in order to visibly reduce their street credibility as other youths begin to disengage on sighting the police. Use of ASBOs to disrupt gang activity and secondment of an anti social behaviour officer to the Xcalibre team Use of TYS (Targeted Youth Support) to take a co-ordinated multi-agency approach to young people identified as being involved in, or at risk of, gang activity 8 til Late – this project works with a group of around 30 school children and their families to build positive factors such as school attendance and participation in positive leisure activities through the use of mentors with the objective of improving resilience to gang involvement in the future IiP – Intensive Intervention Project will work with 50 children across the city identified as being vulnerable to future gang activity
Operation Cougar Operation Cougar is a Greater Manchester Police led initiative, which involves a number of partner agencies, both statutory and community based. The philosophy behind Operation Cougar is to introduce working practices and measures, on a multi-agency basis, which begin to address gang related gun crime, providing a sustainable and positive legacy for the communities of Greater Manchester. Operation Cougar was launched in February 2008 in response to an unacceptable level of community tension and gang activity. Locality maps have been used to demonstrate visually how the implementation of Operation Cougar has reduced the number of firearms discharges.
5.2
5.3
Greater Manchester Police Divisions Firearms Discharges April 2007 to end of March 2008
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Manchester City Council Citizenship and Inclusion Overview and Scrutiny Committee
Item 7 4 February 2009
GREATER MANCHESTER POLICE DIVISIONS – FIREARMS DISCHARGES APRIL 2008 – NOVEMBER 2008
The map above reflects firearms discharges between April 2008 and the end of November 2008, and clearly demonstrates the reduction of activity within the Metropolitan Division. 5.4 As reported to Government Office North West in December 2008, the latest figures for Operation Cougar are shown below: Number of persons arrested Crime arrests Public order arrests Breach of licence arrests Other arrests Number of stop searches Intelligence submissions Disruption of gang activity Firearms recovered Ammunition recovered Number of juveniles at risk Number of juveniles removed Number of EPPOs 216 156 28 12 20 1493 1548 277 9 5 27 (MMAGS and Children’s Services notified) 3 5 31
Manchester City Council Citizenship and Inclusion Overview and Scrutiny Committee Warning letters served 36 (plus original 20)
Item 7 4 February 2009
5.5
Operation Cougar has helped to facilitate the building of trust between Greater Manchester Police and communities in the Metropolitan and Trafford Divisions. Officers have achieved a level of engagement that allows them to work very closely within the gang communities. There is now a level of expectation amongst gang members that they will at some point engage in a level of “neutral” dialogue with police officers Since February 2008, Manchester has seen a 90% reduction in gang related firearms discharges. Conclusion
5.6
5.6
6.
This area of work is highly visible and a significant challenge. Its success depends on robust partnership working across a range of professionals and with communities. Through the period of the T-GAP, Manchester was deemed to be ahead of most other cities in terms of our understanding of the problem and finding innovative solutions to address the most complex issues. We have made progress in shifting expertise to equip other mainstream staff to have the skills and confidence to address the problem with families. Parenting and family support work will be a key element to ensure we embed the skills needed to manage, protect and support the needs of those young people involved. 7. Recommendations That members note: a) progress made to date b) that the strategy incorporates addressing prevention as a key objective as well as working with those already involved
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