The Enemy Within

23 Sep 2005

Hackney Gazette

London is plagued by a rising tide of gun crime. Sadly it still seems to be affecting our black communities disproportionately. What’s more, it seems that the nature of gun crime is changing and it is becoming ever more terrifying.

One notable change is the increasing impact gun crime has on women - in particular black women. New research shows that black women are 50% more likely than white women to be victims of gun crime. Whilst women make up just 2% of gunshot cases, 95% of female victims are black. Women have been fatally shot, both deliberately targeted, or, as innocent bystanders.

Sisters Connie and Lorna Morrison were tied up in flat in Harlesden and shot in the head at point blank. Zainab Kalokoh was shot while holding a baby at a christening celebration. These are just a couple of examples, unfortunately there are too many to list.

The involvement of women is an indication that gun crime is becoming more ruthless and indiscriminate. Earlier this year three men were convicted of attempted murder. They wanted to kill a man sat in a car in Clapton. A woman got out to warn that there were two children inside, pleading with them not to shoot. They responded by spraying the car with bullets injuring everyone in the car, including an 18 month old baby. All the victims were black.

There was a time when guns were associated with drugs. They were used by drug dealers as ‘tools of the trade’. However, nowadays, guns are used to settle minor personal disputes, including romantic ones. This rise of mafia-style tactics where all witnesses have to be eliminated – even children – is shocking.

Once, unless people were armed robbers or security guards, they were unlikely ever to find themselves face-to-face with a gun, but here we have seen drive-by shootings in which people were killed while waiting at a bus stop or coming out of a nightclub. At a party, people have been killed by a bullet from a gun fired in another room that passed through the wall.

Gun crime is a tragedy not just for the people who are shot but for their family and the community. Only collectively can we deal with this violence. The gangs and perpetrators are well known within their communities. Our challenge is to create an environment where people feel able to come forward as witnesses and challenge these thugs. This will include looking at better control of the illegal importation of weapons and at the sale of weapons on the internet as well as adequate witness protection.

However, we must also tackle the underlying issues. Although there has been an increase in gun crime in the Asian and Turkish communities, 80% of gun crime in London is perpetrated by British-born black youths - often in their teens. One reoccurring problem is the persistent educational underachievement of black boys. I am not claiming that every child who underachieves at school goes on to become involved in firearms, but there is a direct link between criminality, whatever one's colour, and underachievement. If we are serious about beating this aggressive gun culture we must be equally aggressive and innovative in tackling the causes.

 

 



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