Chuka Umunna MP

Local residents across Lambeth will get extra help to tackle anti-social behaviour with up to ten thousand front-line staff and community champions receiving training and support to use tough powers and solve local problems, the government has announced.

Local councils and social landlords working with the police are tackling anti-social behaviour effectively and supporting victims.

Latest figures from the British Crime Survey show there has been a fall in people’s perception of anti-social behaviour as a local problem over the last six years.

But statistics are cold comfort to victims, and ministers are determined that everyone across the country should be working together in driving down anti-social behaviour and driving up people’s confidence.
Support and training needs to go further and deeper across communities.

The government is therefore calling on frontline staff from community safety teams to housing officers across England to make full use of the powers and tools already available, while giving more support to residents and community activists.

This drive, which is being funded by a £10m package, will target 130 local councils including Lambeth, which is set to receive a new tranche of funding.

This additional funding will support measures letting local residents know the rights and how to report anti-social behaviour through targeted leaflets, regional events and information for local media as well as extra training for frontline staff such as police and neighbourhood wardens.

It will also fund new clean-up campaigns, supporting community led projects to engage young people and creating more attractive public spaces.

Social landlords, including housing associations such as Clapham Park Homes will have a duty to take measures to stop anti-social behaviour, being required to sign up to a binding Respect Standard.

Where this is not upheld, people will be given support to challenge landlords and councils to make sure that action is taken.

A new Housing Anti-Social Behaviour Squad is being set up nationally to deal with crime in areas of social housing, providing help on the ground to deal with problems faced by housing associations.

Commenting, Chuka Umunna said: “Evidence shows that intervention against anti-social behaviour works, and the new measures and funding will help tackle the problem in our area.”

“People need to know that they are not alone – the government, council and police are on their side in dealing with problem neighbours, violence and vandalism.”

In this video, Chuka talks to Streatham resident, Jennifer McDermott. Jennifer’s daughter, Cassandra, was killed in 2001 at her home in Streatham aged 19, as a result of domestic violence. Her killer – Mario Celaire – was cleared of her murder in 2002 but, as a result of a change in the law regarding double jeapoardy, was re-tried and found guilty of Cassandra’s manslaughter in May 2009.

The double jeopardy rule had previously stopped defendants from being tried twice for the same crime on the same set of facts. The MacPherson Report, which resulted from the investigation into the murder of Stephen Lawrence, suggested that the rule be amended so that where “fresh and viable” new evidence came to light in a case, a defendant could be retried. As a result the government passed into law the 2003 Criminal Justice Act which allows retrials if there is “new” and “compelling” evidence.

Celaire’s was the first high profile retrial to take place under the Act where a defendant had previously been acquitted and was then found guilty on retrial. In this case he had beaten up another girlfriend after Cassandra’s death. He confessed to attacking Cassandra to the other girlfriend who, after his attack on her with a hammer, was left paralysed and barely able to speak. However, she lived to tell her story in court and provide the new evidence needed for a retrial of Cassandra’s killing to take place.

Jennifer, Cassandra’s mother, has set up the Cassandra Learning Centre in her daughter’s memory, a charity with the mission of raising awareness of domestic violence in young adults’ relationships. Chuka is a strong supporter of the charity.

Domestic violence is a significant problem both nationally and in Lambeth, which has the highest rate of domestic violence in London. Nearly one in three women in the UK have experienced domestic violence.

Earlier this year, the government launched a consultation on proposals to end domestic abuse, including ways in which police and court powers could be strengthened to control violent perpetrators, particularly serial offenders who move between relationships. Both the public, voluntary groups and charities are being consulted in order to build on what has already been achieved, such as the increase in conviction and prosecution rates over the past ten years.

For more information, visit the Home Office website here: Domestic Violence.

Tessa Jowell, MP for Dulwich and West Norwood, and Chuka Umunna, Labour’s Parliamentary candidate for Streatham, promote free discount vouchers for home security products as part of a government package of support to help the public prevent burglary and keep crime down.

On 17 April 2007, Tessa Jowell, MP for Dulwich and West Norwood, and Chuka Umunna, Labour’s Parliamentary candidate for Streatham, visited B&Q West Norwood to promote free government advice packs for people concerned about becoming victims of burglary.

The pack provides simple and practical advice on what local people can do to prevent burglary and includes discount vouchers for home security products from B&Q and Focus.

The initiative is part of a £20 million package of practical measures to keep crime down. Other measures include:

• Intensified police operations around the country to turn the tables on repeat burglars, with burglary a top priority for the police nationally. This will be backed by £3 million funding in targeted areas, to step up the monitoring and management of burglars on release from prison.
• A new £6 million Safer Homes fund to pay for local handy-people to visit up to 45,000 homes of people who are less likely to have good home security, such as older people and people on low incomes, and install security devices such as window locks making those houses more secure.
• New advice from insurers on what home security measures householders can install to get the best deal from the insurance market.

Local residents can obtain the free advice pack by calling 0800 456 1213. The pack includes the following:

• advice leaflets on preventing burglary and distraction burglary;
• a printed version of the online personalised home security self-assessment from the Home Office website;
• a ‘before you leave the house’ security checklist to put by the front door;
• a guide to Neighbourhood Watch and the benefits of setting up a scheme;
• advice for tenants on home security – their responsibilities and the landlord’s responsibilities;
• a copy of the Policing Pledge; and
• discount vouchers for home security devices at B&Q stores.

Commenting on their visit, Umunna and Jowell said:

“Burglary has more than halved in the last decade and it important we keep it that way.

“The public are our best weapon in fighting crime and, working together, we can stop those criminals who think they can take advantage in these tough economic times.”

Bret Phipps, General Manager of the West Norwood branch of B&Q said:

“B&Q is committed to making people feel safer in their own homes. We offer sensible precautions that needn’t be expensive – bolts, padlocks and timer switches are available from £2.

“We are delighted to support the govenment’s new resource pack. This pack will provide money off vouchers for B&Q’s 1000 home security products, enabling people to feel safer in their homes, ensuing greater piece of mind.”

Anyone who is concerned about burglary can also contact their local neighbourhood police team for information on crime prevention by visiting www.direct.gov.uk/policingpledge and using the postcode search facility to find their contact details.

Jowell and Umunna were accompanied by the Deputy Leader of Lambeth Council, Cllr Jackie Meldrum.

New police and court powers have been announced by the Home Office which will help deal with gangs who use dangerous dogs. There is concern that dogs, such as Pit Bull Terriers, are being trained by gangs to be aggressive and increasingly used in violence or to intimidate others. The new powers will allow courts to restrict the movements of gang members and prohibit them from owning or being in control of dogs. Those breaking such an order would face up to two years in prison. The announcement comes as part of the Home Office’s wider effort to tackle gang culture. Certain dangerous breeds are already restricted by law and last year the Metropolitan Police seized over 600 dogs, the majority of which are on the list of banned dogs, compared to only 27 in 2004/5.

Chuka is speaking at the Convention on Modern Liberty today with The Observer’s Will Hutton, Chris Huhne MP, musician Brian Eno and Guardian legal correspondent, Afua Hirsch. The convention is being held to bring as many people together to see what common ground can be reached in defence of our freedoms.

Fundamental rights and freedoms are common to us all. The Universal Declaration recognises ‘the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family as the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world’. In Britain such values have an even longer history. We are indeed the inheritors of an inspiring tradition of liberty.

At the same time technical advances from information technology to explosives and the threats of catastrophic climatic change have altered the framework of power and fear. This calls for a renewal of our democratic self-confidence. This is the purpose of the Convention on Modern Liberty.

To watch a live stream of the event, click here: Modern Liberty Convention.

The keynote speech is being given by the director of Liberty, Shami Chakrabarti, who you can watch in the video below:

Chuka was recently asked to respond to reports that replica guns are being sold in Streatham and used by young people for self defence. 

Commenting on the report in this week’s Streatham Guardian (which can be read here: Streatham Guardian), Chuka said:

“Reports of this kind are deeply worrying when the possession of the replica firearm is not for play and recreation, but allegedly for self defence.

“In 2006 we made it an offence to produce and sell imitation guns that could be mistaken for real firearms and we have strengthened the sentence for carrying these replicas so it can be punishable by imprisonment, which of course acts as a deterrent.

“However, I think we – as a community – need to ask ourselves why our young people feel the need to arm themselves.

“I do not remember guns being so prevalent when I was growing up here.

“In my view, what we see is partly linked to the proliferation of gangs leading to teen violence in South London. We must divert our young people away from them by giving them more to do out of school and much more of our time as adults – this why I am delighted that the right to request flexible for working is being extended to the parents of teenagers this April (something I have long campaigned for) and why I am working hard to increase funding for youth activities in this area.”

On the 24th January, a boy of fourteen was taken to hospital following a shooting in Tulse Hill. It is believed that he was attacked by another teenager.

We were all shocked and distressed at the incident, particularly since it involved young people. Our thoughts are with the teenagers involved, as well as their friends and families.

The event is a clear reminder that we need to take urgent steps to engage with young adults in order to tackle violent crime, and get to grips with the socio-economic issues behind the statistics. The whole community must stand together against acts of violence in order to stop them.

Local youth group, the Palace Project takes a similar stance, and has made a long-lasting contribution to tackling youth crime with its engaging and thought-provoking short film on the issue. Part one can be viewed below.

There is considerable alarm about the gun and knife crime on our streets today. It seems that not a day goes by without a media report of a stabbing or shooting incident in London.

Here in Streatham, the shooting of 16 year old James Andre Smartt-Ford at Streatham Ice Rink (outside which I am pictured with a youth worker) on 2 February 2007 was one of the first in a wave of teenage murders to come to national prominence. Months later, on 22 October 2007, there was the shooting of Gary “Curry Cat” Guthrie at the Starlight Room nightclub behind the Ice Rink (the trial of the seven men accused of his murder takes place in January). On 31 March this year a teenager was shot in the face on Tierney Road. This list is by no means exhaustive.

Each and every incident is shocking, all the more so when it results in death. Unfortunately I have not had time to do justice to these issues in a post on this website this week, but I do intend to blog in much greater detail in this regard in the coming months. For the moment, here are some brief thoughts.

Firstly, I think it is important to get these issues in perspective. Yes there is a problem – no one would deny that when faced with the statistics of young people tragically killed over the last 18 months – but it is still a minority engaging in this kind of violence. The Home Office estimates that just 5% of young people are responsible for half of all youth crime, so lets not demonise the majority of them.  Mark Easton, BBC News’ Home Affairs editor (right) did a very good blog this week on our teenagers – “10 reasons to cheer our teenagers” – which is well worth reading.

Secondly, knife and gun crime is not the sole preserve of young people as the murder of Gary Guthrie demonstrates. Guthrie was aged 35 and all those charged with his murder are aged 20 or over. Lets not forget there is knife and gun crime being committed across all age groups which must be addressed.

Thirdly, the government is taking action, not only to crack down hard on those committing these dreadful offences, but also to prevent people getting involved in this kind of activity in the first place as the Youth Crime Action Plan published on Tuesday demonstrates.

Elements of the Youth Crime Action Plan include street based teams of youth workers and ex-gang members to tackle groups of young people involved in crime and disorder, giving the community the opportunity to say what type of work they want young people on community sentences to do undertake and expanding youth centre provision. This builds on measures we have introduced to tackle crime more generally such as Safer Neighbourhood Teams.

Whilst Mayor of London, Labour’s Ken Livingstone ensured money was devoted to allow Safer Neighbourhood police teams (SNTs) to be introduced into every ward in London (he did so in the face of opposition from the Conservative group on the London Assembly).  Each team is normally made up of six police and Police Community Support Officers. As the Met’s website says:
“Their aim is to listen and talk to you, and find out what affects your daily life and feelings of security. These might be issues such as anti-social behaviour, graffiti, noisy neighbourhoods, yobs or vandalism.”

Safer Neighbourhood Panels (SNPs), made up of 10-12 local people who live or work in the area nominated by the community, shadow the work of SNTs and ensure they are responsive to local needs. The Safer Lambeth Partnership which includes the Lambeth Council, the Metropolitan Police, the probation service, Lambeth Primary Care Trust, HM Prison Service and others, recently released details of the Streatham constituency’s SNPs’ priorities:

Brixton Hill: prostitution; dog fighting; and, burglary;

Clapham Common: street crime; youth engagement; and, burglary;

Thornton: burglary; anti social behaviour and gangs on Poynders estate and Cotton and Angus House; and, robbery of the person, specifically along Emmanuel Road;

Tulse Hill: prostitution around Josephene Avenue; anti-social behaviour on Cressingham Gardens; and, drugs on the St.Mathews estate;

Streatham Wells: anti-social behaviour, in and surrounding Albert Carr Gardens, SW16; and, motor vehicle crime on Woodleigh Gardens, SW16;

Streatham South: burglary; robbery; motor vehicle crime; and, anti social youth and street drinkers;

St Leonard’s: burglary; motor vehicle crime; and, anti social behaviour around Streatham Green & St Leonard’s;

Streatham Hill: anti social behaviour on Palace Rd, Hillside, and Killieser Avenue; cycling on pavements; and, street robberies on Streatham Hill. 

Tackling these problems is an absolute priority for me. Nationally, police numbers have increased by 14,000 since Labour came to power and we have introduced initiatives such as the Respect Agenda which aims to empower individuals and communities to combat anti-social behaviour and take control of their own areas.

But we have a lot more to do, not least on early prevention and ensuring that those who fall foul of the law are properly rehabilitated and do not enter prison only to exit and re-offend again. I do not pretend to have all the answers, so I would be interested to know what you think the solutions are – please do drop me a line with your thoughts here.

Gun and knife crime is a particular concern for residents of Streatham, Brixton Hill, Tulse Hill and Clapham, given some of the high profile reported incidents occurring here recently. Only a couple of months ago, on 31 March 2008, a 15 year old teenager was shot in Streatham.

The government has introduced a series of measures to deal with this violence, the latest being the new guidelines on the prosecution of those caught carrying knives.  From 5 June 2008, anyone – including teenagers aged 16 and over – caught carrying an illegal knife could face criminal charges, which marks a change in policy; for many years teenagers found carrying illegal knives were given a caution, if it was their first offence – now they may be prosecuted.  This measure alone will not solve the problem of young people carrying knives, but it will help and is therefore to be welcomed.