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| Police to hold talks with gangs | Police to hold talks with gangs |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Police are to hold talks with the leaders of south London's most violent gangs in an attempt to cut gun crime. | Police are to hold talks with the leaders of south London's most violent gangs in an attempt to cut gun crime. |
| Leaders of seven gangs will be brought in one-by-one and told gun crime has to stop or police will come down hard on them, Scotland Yard said. | Leaders of seven gangs will be brought in one-by-one and told gun crime has to stop or police will come down hard on them, Scotland Yard said. |
| A Metropolitan Police spokesman said it was the first time the force had taken such an approach. | |
| Gang violence was also the focus of a meeting between Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Manchester police officers. | |
| Mr Brown met police officers of the Xcalibre Task Force at their headquarters in Moss Side, the area of south Manchester which has spawned violent gun gangs. | |
| The trip aims to provide a boost to the forces taking on the brunt of gun and gang violence in London, Liverpool, Birmingham and Manchester. | |
| Meanwhile, police in London have come up with the plan to hold talks with gang leaders after success in a similar project in Boston in the United States. | |
| The move comes days after London's streets claimed their latest gun crime victim, a 17-year-old youth of Turkish origin. | The move comes days after London's streets claimed their latest gun crime victim, a 17-year-old youth of Turkish origin. |
| The teenager, who was murdered in Stoke Newington on Wednesday, is the 22nd youth to die in a knife or gun killing in London this year. | The teenager, who was murdered in Stoke Newington on Wednesday, is the 22nd youth to die in a knife or gun killing in London this year. |
| Operation Alliance | Operation Alliance |
| The idea for talks was devised following talks with council officials in five south London boroughs; Lambeth, Croydon, Southwark, Lewisham and Greenwich, which have been particularly affected by gun crime. | |
| We should be in their faces not inviting them in for a cup of tea and a chat Norman BrennanThe Victims of Crime Trust | We should be in their faces not inviting them in for a cup of tea and a chat Norman BrennanThe Victims of Crime Trust |
| The gangs have not been identified but a police spokesman said they were believed to be behind a majority of the shootings in the area, as well as other forms of violent crime. | The gangs have not been identified but a police spokesman said they were believed to be behind a majority of the shootings in the area, as well as other forms of violent crime. |
| Led by Commander Shaun Sawyer, Operation Alliance aims to dismantle and disrupt criminal gangs and wants to hold the meetings with gang leaders in January. | |
| "Communicating with those involved in violence is one part of a much broader programme of action that seemed to work in Boston," the Metropolitan Police said in a statement. | "Communicating with those involved in violence is one part of a much broader programme of action that seemed to work in Boston," the Metropolitan Police said in a statement. |
| The success of Boston's Operation Ceasefire was down to the strong community support in working with the police to target the gangs. | The success of Boston's Operation Ceasefire was down to the strong community support in working with the police to target the gangs. |
| Ms Pniewska was killed in the cross-fire between two gunmen in October | Ms Pniewska was killed in the cross-fire between two gunmen in October |
| But Norman Brennan, of the Victims of Crime Trust, said the police should not be "negotiating with criminals". | |
| "We should be tackling and challenging these individuals, using the most up-to-date technology," he told the BBC News website. | "We should be tackling and challenging these individuals, using the most up-to-date technology," he told the BBC News website. |
| "The sad reality is that a considerable number of gang members have an arrogant contempt for anyone and everyone. | "The sad reality is that a considerable number of gang members have an arrogant contempt for anyone and everyone. |
| "Some have no regard for the value of life, they have an attitude of 'live by the gun, die by the gun'. | "Some have no regard for the value of life, they have an attitude of 'live by the gun, die by the gun'. |
| "Many are protecting their turf or involved in drugs - they have too much to lose by laying down their weapons. | "Many are protecting their turf or involved in drugs - they have too much to lose by laying down their weapons. |
| "We should be in their faces not inviting them in for a cup of tea and a chat." | "We should be in their faces not inviting them in for a cup of tea and a chat." |
| Long-term approach | Long-term approach |
| Uanu Seshmi, of the south London youth mentoring group The From Boyhood to Manhood Foundation, broadly supported the initiative. | Uanu Seshmi, of the south London youth mentoring group The From Boyhood to Manhood Foundation, broadly supported the initiative. |
| But he said initiatives of the type proposed were best left to community organisations. | But he said initiatives of the type proposed were best left to community organisations. |
| Mr Seshmi, an emotional behavioural expert, said: "As a preventive method, it's okay but it's not the definitive answer to tackling gun crime. | Mr Seshmi, an emotional behavioural expert, said: "As a preventive method, it's okay but it's not the definitive answer to tackling gun crime. |
| "Talking to gang leaders, telling them to 'put down their guns or else' may work in the short-term. | "Talking to gang leaders, telling them to 'put down their guns or else' may work in the short-term. |
| "But young people involved with guns have underlying emotional issues and they need to be targeted by more long-term prevention work. | "But young people involved with guns have underlying emotional issues and they need to be targeted by more long-term prevention work. |
| "Community groups need to be given the support to carry out this work because they know the youths who are in the gangs better than anybody else." | "Community groups need to be given the support to carry out this work because they know the youths who are in the gangs better than anybody else." |