Diane condemns 'brazen' actions of gangs in London

Diane led a debate in Westminster Hall this morning to highlight the problem of gang crime in London

Diane spoke of how gangs have become more brazen in their activities, citing the murder of 15 year old Sofyen Belamouadden in Victoria station in front of shocked commuters last Thursday, as an example.

She also pointed to a series of violent attacks in her own constituency, including the stabbing of promising footballer 17 year old Godwin Lawson last weekend.

Diane also raised concern about the increased number of girls joining gangs, but praised new legislation which will see gang injunctions extended to cover 14 to 17 year olds from September.

She added that she was hoping to facilitate a joint police and local authority crackdown herself on gang violence between Turkish/Kurdish gangs in her constituency, following eleven shootings involving the community since August last year.

Diane said:

“The problem of gangs has been addressed by my government and over 17 million has been spent on tackling serious youth violence since 2007. However, more needs to be done. Gangs have become more brazen, less fearful of arrest and we are seeing more girls joining gangs, and as a result becoming victims of crimes such as gang rape. The problem can no longer be ignored. Gangs now exist in some of the richest postcodes in London and are carrying out attacks in broad daylight. I will be pushing for more emphasis on gang crime in the next government to make sure we tackle this problem sooner, rather than later.”