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WALTHAM FOREST: Police chief plea over youth violence fund (From East London and West Essex Guardian Series)
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WALTHAM FOREST: Police chief plea over youth violence fund
2:08pm Wednesday 15th October 2008
GIVE us more cash to tackle violent youth crime – that is the plea to the Government from Waltham Forest’s top police officer.
Despite the borough having the ninth highest rate of robbery in England and Wales, with many of the perpetrators and victims aged 16 to 20, it has this year been denied a slice of a proposed £57million fund to tackle violent street culture.
Frustrated at being overlooked, borough commander Chief Supt Mark Benbow is to try and persuade the Government that the borough’s police need the money.
Speaking at a meeting of the council’s scrutiny committees, Chief Supt Benbow said: “We are still fifth highest in London for youth crime.
“We did not get the £700,000 from the Youth Crime Action Plan and that’s a real disappointment – we’re trying to challenge the government on that.”
Waltham Forest is one of six boroughs identified by the Met as being of most concern regarding serious youth violence and knife crime.
Cabinet member for community safety Cllr Afzal Akram added: “We’ve got all the problems of an inner London borough – exceptions should be made where exceptions are required.
“We’ve also written to the Home Office and it has agreed to meet with a delegation of officers to find out why we should get some of that money.”
He stated that the council has also written to Mayor of London Boris Johnson to ask him to look again at the formula used to decide how much funding is allocated in London.
At the meeting of the scrutiny committees, young people were given the chance to express their views.
A representative group from the Youth Independent Advisory Group (YIAG), who declined to be named, told of how they feel attacked by the media and how police do not show them enough respect.
One young woman said: “A lot of the guys I used to hang around with have been defined as being in gangs and that defines me as being in a gang – but I’m not.
“When I look at them, I see them as my brothers but everyone’s saying ‘they’re in a gang, they’re bad’.”
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Your Say Your Guardian
bewildered,e17, says...
10:05pm Wed 15 Oct 08
Bert Small, Leyton says...
7:40am Thu 16 Oct 08
It is beyond belief that in a week that a lady is found battered to death in St Mary's Churchyard and other high profile cases coming up for trial, the local police are encouraging the Public to dial 999 if they see squirrels being drowned. They would probably take the usual 8 hours at least to turn up anyhow! How long does it take to drown one?
Also this week The Metropolitan Police urges the public NOT to use the 999 system but to call a non-enmergency number (which already escapes me as it is too long!)
All this and yet at night around the Bakers Arms, not a real Copper or a Plastic one to be seen when the undesirables, drug dealers, prostitutes, drunks and the like turn out and loiter scaring ordinary passers by. Then again, one doesn't see a squirrel at night so that may be the reason Chief Superintendent Benbow?
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Technomist, Walthamstow says...
3:13pm Wed 15 Oct 08
As for the Police having to 'show respect' to people who hang round with gangsters, why should they? I would rather hear the so-called Youth Independent Advisory Group telling us about what they intend to do to show more respect to the police and help bring the violent youths in our midst to justice.