LEYTONSTONE: One shooting is too many (From East London and West Essex Guardian Series)

LEYTONSTONE: One shooting is too many

2:50pm Monday 8th March 2010 in

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I refer to the views on youth crime in south Leytonstone expressed by Cllr Akram (Cabinet Member for Community Safety) in last week's edition of your paper.

Apparently, "there has only been one shooting since the start of the year involving young people in the south of the borough".

Whilst I do not wish to overstate the social problems in the Cathall and Cann Hall area (which is still a very positive place to live), for those of us who live here one shooting is one too many.

Cllr Akram refers to a drop in youth crime but the figures he alludes to need to be seen against the following background.

Firstly, they were at unacceptably high levels to begin with and so had a long way to fall. Secondly, there are still too many guns and knives on our streets and the drift into gangs will only get worse with the deteriorating job market.

Our young people need hope and aspiration. I'm afraid that, for Cllr Akram's misguided boasts, it is local community groups and residents - and not Waltham Forest Council - that have been working hardest to achieve this.

If Cllr Akram's administration had not presided over the disgraceful loss and misuse of so much of our Better Neighbourhood Initiative funding, then perhaps his words would not sound so hollow.

Ed Northover

Conservative parliamentary candidate for Leyton & Wanstead/Cann Hall resident