Arvinda Gohil, our Chief Executive, attended a roundtable with the Home Secretary, where the government launched its new Serious Youth Violence strategy.
She commented on the launch:
“We are in danger of normalising the idea of children dying on our streets from guns and knives.
“Today’s Home Office strategy confirms that drugs are a major driver of violence. This is no surprise to us. Every day on the streets of Newham we see day time drug dealing and consumption in a style so brazen, you’d think they were selling sweets. We see people taking crack at 8am in the morning, and dealers using the space outside our building to carry out their deals. We see older dealers talking to young boys, grooming them to get involved.
“This is a complex issue, with a complex solution. One thing is clear; that we need to take action, and we need to start it early.
“We must work in primary and secondary schools, in youth clubs and in parks to help children see this is not the way to leading fulfilling lives. We need to empower our communities to take charge and develop a long term response to violence that encompasses everyone. We must work together as individuals, families, communities, charities and statutory services to build resilient communities, and ensure that we stem this tide of violence.”