Gangs

Gangs, weapons and violence - is your child involved?
Recently your teenager has started to avoid you completely, stays out later and later without permission and is spending time with a new group of friends you know nothing about.

Normal teenage behaviour? Or could your child be involved with a gang?

Constant media reports about gang culture and the increased use of guns and knives by young people makes it easy to believe that they are all involved. This is not true. For example, in Lambeth, South London, while there are approximately 23,000 young people aged 10-17, in the year 2007-8 only 2.6% of them were involved in crime.

Gang Membership

Gang membership isn’t illegal, but once involved members are more likely to commit robbery, assault or drug offences and to carry or use knives and guns.

They may take risks with their physical safety and sexual health and are far more likely to become victims of crime and risk serious injury or even death.

It’s not only boys who join gangs. Young women can be involved as gang members or associates and they are particularly vulnerable to becoming involved in risky sexual behaviour.

Reasons a young person might join a gang are:

• Protection
• Peer pressure
• To gain status / respect
• Territory
• For excitement
• For money from crime
• To escape negative situations at home such as neglect or abuse

A group may be a gang if it:

• Has a name
• Has a defined territory
• Uses a specific colour, particularly in clothing
• Uses specific hand gestures or signs
• Uses symbols shown in tattoos or graffiti

A person will be identified by the police as a gang member if he/she:

• Admits membership to a group which meets the criteria of a gang
• Is identified by a reliable informant as a gang member
• Lives in or frequents a gang’s area and adopts its style of dress or other signs – or associates with known gang members
• Has been arrested in the company of identified gang members for offences consistent with gang activity

What you can do

As a parent you can help protect your son / daughter by understanding the issues, recognising the signs and getting further help and support if you need it. Tackle the issue of gangs positively by:
• Setting a good example – you are their first and most important role model. If you deal with conflict without the use of anger or violence, it’s more likely your child will too.
• Talking to your child – remind them that you are always there for them.
• Not judging. Discuss their hopes, aspirations, fears and worries. They are growing up in a different time from you and face unique challenges.
• Praising your child and acknowledging their achievements.
• Emphasising the difference between right and wrong. If they want something they must earn it, not take it from others.
• Getting to know your child’s friends and their families.
• Becoming more involved with their school and activities like homework.
• Keeping discipline consistent – set limits and boundaries and keep to them.
• Being aware of the different websites your child browses and which networking groups they use. Most use of websites like Facebook, Myspace or Bebo by young people is harmless. However, it’s important to be aware that gangs do use these sites to organise their activities.
• Not being afraid to discuss the issue of gangs directly. Use reports in the news as your starting point. They will probably know far more than you think and will have opinions.

Gangs: Spot the signs
Suspicions that your son / daughter is involved in a criminal gang are not necessarily proof, though some indications might be:

Behaviour

• Withdrawing from the family
• Loss of interest in school
• Dropping positive activities like sports
• Changes in behaviour reported by the school
• Unexplained extra money or new possessions e.g. clothes, trainers, jewellery, computers / games, mobile phones
• Staying out late without permission
• Increasingly secretive or vague about their whereabouts, activities or friends
• New nickname

Visual signs

• Dressing differently, perhaps in a particular style or colour
• Unexplained physical injuries
• Using tags or graffiti on books / possessions
• Using hand signals to speak with friends in ‘code’

Here is a useful link for further advice and support for parents in Lambeth about gangs. 
http://www.gotateenager.org.uk/default.aspx?page=viewarticle&module=articles-view&id=57