DTT-report - Damilola Taylor Trust

Transcription

A blueprint for eradicating knife
crime in the UK Diaspora
community
Report of the Conference on Combating Radicalisation and Knife Crime:
The Role of the Diaspora Community organised by the Damilola Taylor trust on 5 September 2015 at
the Damilola Taylor Centre, Peckham, London
Prepared by:
Richard Taylor OBE
Olugbenga Coker PhD
About the authors
Richard Taylor OBE is the founder of the Damilola Taylor Trust. The Trust, established in May 2001, is
committed to providing inner-city youths with opportunities to play, learn and live their lives free of fear
and violence, and with optimism for a future where opportunities flourish. The Trust has developed
projects to guide children and young people who are vulnerable to gang and knife crime and to inspire
young people towards greater achievements. Richard Taylor OBE has helped hundreds of young people to
get closer to fulfilling their potential.
Olugbenga Coker previously worked with Pricewaterhousecoopers and with a number of NGOs including
Oxfam GB. He obtained his PhD from King’s College London with his thesis on Accountability in NGOs. He is
currently the Finance Director in an International Human Rights Charity. He is also the General Secretary of
the Central Association of Nigerians in the UK (CANUK) and a Trustee of the Damilola Taylor Trust.
This Report is based on the conference speakers’ presentations and discussion by the delegates. Our special thanks
to all the conference speakers, moderators, rapporteurs and to all the delegates.
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Damilola Taylor Trust: A community action plan for combating knife crime in the UK Diaspora community
Contents
Acknowledgements ......................................................................................................................................... 4
Executive summary ......................................................................................................................................... 5
Introduction ..................................................................................................................................................... 6
Conference sessions……….. .............................................................................................................................. 7
Africans are being killed on the streets of London without a car
Opening Address by Mr Richard Taylor OBE...................................................................................................... 7
Children are being deprived of their Childhood
Keynote Remarks by The Mayor of Southwark, Councillor Dora Dixon-Fyle MBE ............................................ 8
Collective action can end the violence
Setting out the Conference aims and context by Dr Olugbenga Coker ............................................................. 9
The Nigerian High Commission is prepared to support the community’s effortMr Francis Enya, representing the Nigeria High Commissioner to the UK, Ambassador Olukunle
Bamgbose......................................................................................................................................................... 11
Under the new Knife Law, it’s two strikes and you are out
Detective Inspector Catherine Goodwin, representing Chief Inspector Susan Pawsey, Southwark
Police................................................................................................................................................................ 12
We need a total reorientation of our children
Ms Julie Coker.............................................. .................................................................................................... 15
Young people are being targeted by extremists for grooming
PC Rick Warrington, SO 15 counter-terrorism command ................................................................................ 16
Radicalisation is a risk to society
Sally Evans, a victim’s parent and a campaigner and Mike Jervis, former CEO DTT ....................................... 19
Develop good role models for black youths
Ade Solanke. Founder, Spora Stories ............................................................................................................... 20
The root cause of the problem is crack cocaine
Leroy Logan MBE, former Chair of the Black Police Officers’ Association....................................................... 21
The consequences of a criminal record are dire: Keep the future bright
Mrs Yemisi Jenkins, President of the Association of British Law Enforcement Officers.................................. 23
Enlisting youth participation in community initiatives
Dr Toyin Onibokun and Mrs Florence Emakpose ............................................................................................ 24
Youths are our biggest assets: We must encourage them to engage in worthy entrepreneurship
Lagun Akinloye, representing the CANUK Chair, Mr Babatunde Loye ............................................................ 25
Steps towards safer streets: Young people’s perspective
Michael Olatunji and Alika ............................................................................................................................... 26
Empower young people through entrepreneurship and IT training
Joshua King, Bitpesa ......................................................................................................................................... 27
We must stop being spectators and become players
Dr Dayo Olomu................................................................................................................................................. 28
Discussion, Issues and Conclusions .............................................................................................................. 29
A blueprint for Community Action ............................................................................................................... 31
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Acknowledgements
This report is based on the proceedings of the conference on Combating Radicalisation and Knife Crime - The Role of the Diaspora
Community held on Saturday 5 May 2015 at the Damilola Taylor Center, Peckham, London. We thank all the conference delegates,
presenters, guests and the press.
We are particularly grateful to the Mayor of Southwark, Cllr Dora Dixon-Fyle MBE, The Acting Nigeria High Commissioner to the UK,
Ambassador Olukunle Bamgbose (represented by Mr Francis Enya) and Ms Julie Coker.
We thank the subject experts for their insightful presentations: PC Rick Warrington and the officers of the SO15 Counterterrorism
command, Detective Inspector Catherin Goodwin of the Southwark Police, Mr Leroy Logand, Founding President of the Association
of Black Police Officers and Ade Solanke of Spora Stories.
We thank community leaders Chief Bimbo Folayan, Chima Olughu, Mr Lagun Akinloye (representing Mr Babatunde Loye, CANUK
Chair), Dr Dayo Olomu and Ms Yemisi Jenkins.
We thank Michael Olatunji and Alika , Dr Toyin Onibokun and Mrs Florence Emakpose who shared their experiences working with
young people.
We thank Sally Evans and Mike Jervise who spoke from the perspective of victims.
Finally, we want to thank Mrs Ronke Udofia and Ms Flora Njoku who served as rapporteurs, Mr Bolaji Lewis who served as comoderator along with Mrs Ronke Udofia and Mrs Sheryl Coker who provided the logistical support for the conference.
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Executive Summary
In the 48 hours preceding the conference on 5 September 2015, two teenagers were killed in London.
These crimes were committed mostly by people from the ethnic minority community and against members
of the same community.
Culturally, knife crime is alien to the community but young people are being led into a life of crime by the
environmental influences prevalent in the UK. These influences are economic deprivation, policy
inadequacy and a lack of political will to tackle the problem, social issues including the media’s exclusive
focus on crime, a permissive and culturally insensitive legal system and the ready availability of high speed
internet access.
The community needs to work together to address the issue beginning with the mapping of the various
groups and the initiatives they are working on in order to avoid duplicating efforts and to identify and
scope the gaps.
The following six key initiatives should then be established:
1. A community-wide programme of education and enlightenment focusing on parents and young
people collaboratively with all the community groups and religious leaders.
2. A forum for liaison between the police, community leaders and young people for the exchange of
ideas and information.
3. A community-wide mentoring programme for young people with a focus on helping them in areas
such as education, work/ apprenticeships, leadership development, enterprise and start-up etc.
4. A community think tank to research and advocate on social and policy issues and advance the
position of the community within the UK public life.
5. A youth awards scheme to identify talents, celebrate them, support their development and
promote their positive activities in the media.
6. A cultural and educational exchange programme to reconnect diaspora youths with their history,
ancestry and positive cultural values.
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Introduction
The Nigerian Diaspora community in the UK is estimated to number about 2 million. The challenges faced by the
community are numerous. In the UK, in addition to the long-term problem of social mobility and low participation in
the economic and political life, there is the growing problem of knife crime and the infiltration of Islamic
radicalisation. A number of individuals and associations are doing their part through various initiatives but there is
little collective discussion and exchange of ideas on a coherent Diaspora response to these challenges.
Conference Aim
The aim of the conference was to discuss and explore effective means of channelling the skills, knowledge and
resources of the Diaspora communities towards addressing these problems. The conference aimed to build a broad
partnership of associations and groups interested in bringing about change in the community and to develop a
community action plan for bringing about the change.
Conference Structure
The conference was divided into two sessions, one focusing on the issue of knife crime and the other on the growing
scourge of radicalisation. The conference speakers were drawn from subject specialists (including police officers, law
enforcements officers, and charity workers), community leaders, youth representatives, victims of crime and others
working on issues affecting young people.
Discussions and questions and answers followed each presentation while conclusions and action points were noted
down by the conference rapporteurs.
Conference Sessions
Various subject experts and community leaders presented at the conference. The level of participation was high with
each presentation followed by a Question and Answer session and discussions. Further discussions took place over
coffee breaks and dinner with important feedback to the conference rapporteurs and organisers. The following
subsections summarise the various presentations.
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Africans are being killed on the streets of London without a care
Opening Address by Mr Richard Taylor OBE
Mr Richard Taylor said recent murder cases over the past months have been difficult to bear for people like him who
have lost someone so dear to them. ‘We’ve been doing this work, delivering projects to get young people into a
positive way of life for over 12 years. But the recent increase in stabbings makes me feel we’re not getting any
improved results. It is getting too much to bear. What do we do?’ He recalled that the young people we have lost
includes: Michael Adegbite – an innocent young man who was killed in Chingford, stabbed to death over an iPad he
had tried to sell. The killing of another Nigerian youth was recently reported in the Evening Standard.
The DTT has been working with families who have lost loved ones to overcome their grief and has been working very
hard to get young people off the street to do something positive.
Mr Taylor thought about what else could be done. The DTT, with the help of Dr Coker and the Central Association of
Nigerians in the UK, brainstormed and came up with the idea of holding today’s conference so that the community
could get together to discuss youth problems.
The Mayor of London was approached and agreed that it was a good idea to hold such a forum.
Today is an important event for the community to come up with solutions and write to the Home Office, Mayor and
the new Government in Nigeria about this issue – Afro-Caribbean youths killed on the streets in UK.
It is also important for representation from the Nigerian High Commissioner to the UK to give their views.
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Children are being deprived of their Childhood
Keynote Remarks by Councillor Dora Dixon-Fyle, MBE, the Mayor of Southwark
The Mayor of Southwark, Councillor Dora Dixon-Fyle, thanked Mr Taylor for allowing her to contribute to such a
worthy cause. This is the second time this week that she has attended a DTT event, having supported DTT for over a
decade. She looks up to Mr Taylor in admiration as he has navigated DTT through difficult times to turn things into
positive actions such as mentoring young people to prevent them from going the wrong way. She said children were
being deprived of their right to childhood as defined by the UN Convention of Childhood when they are subjected to
such things as having to enter school through weapon scanners. She also observed that the problem is manifesting
at an earlier age. She said, ‘Violence is not just being perpetrated by teenagers but in primary schools... children are
using and have access to weapons at an earlier age’. She had worked for Harriet Harman MP and learnt a lot about
crime in teenagers and young people and questioned how dangerous weapons are obtained by young people.
She called for reflection on what has gone
wrong. ‘I grew up in Southwark. We
roamed around freely as young people
should be allowed to do. There were
occasional fisticuffs. I don’t know what
has changed all that.’
She pointed out that a breakdown of
family discipline, laxity of the law and a
loss of communal space are contributory
factors. She also pointed out that while
this issue affects mostly the African
Diaspora community in London, it affects
other communities in other towns and
cities across UK. She pointed out that if
this conference had been convened in
other cities say Manchester or Edinburgh,
the victims and perpetrators and grieving
families would be predominantly white
working class. She prompted all delegates
to think through what has caused the
sudden upsurge in violence and come up
with ways to ensure children are allowed
to grow up in a safe environment.
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Collective action can end the violence Setting the Conference Aims and the context by Dr Olugbenga Coker
One morning on 6 August as the sun beat down in the playground of a Primary school some children sat in the shade
of the trees. Suddenly one boy pointed up to a silver dot in the cloudless sky “an aeroplane!” he shouted. The other
children looked up to see the plane starting to turn then, all of a sudden, a brilliant flash blinded everyone. Then a
fireball exploded which instantly carbonized almost everyone close to the area. The intense heat and radiation from
the blast, wiped out buildings several kilometres away. Thousands of people were left dead and thousands of others
were made homeless. Some fled to the neighbouring cities. The date was 6 August 1945 and the city was Hiroshima.
The plane was the American plane that dropped the world’s first atomic bomb.
Three days later, on the morning of 9 August, the Americans dropped a second, bigger atomic bomb on Nagasaki
killing thousands more including some of the survivors of the first bombing who fled Hiroshima to seek refuge there.
The world was horrified. On 5 September 1945 exactly 70 years today, the International Committee of the Red Cross
(ICRC) questioned whether atomic weapons were lawful and launched a campaign to end their use. The stockpiles
have not been destroyed but the weapons have never been used again.
Less than 48 hours ago, in Brockley, a 17 year old boy called Shaquan was stabbed to death. He is the eighth
teenager to be stabbed to death in London this year. Most of the victims and the offenders are from our community.
The devastating consequence for the community is double. Eight families are grieving over the loss of their children.
As many families or more are going to have their children passed through the criminal justice system meaning a
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ruined future. If this is not addressed, the future of the community is going to be blighted by the events happening
today. We are gathered here today to find a way to put an end to this. There is an estimated 2million Nigerian
Diaspora living in the UK. Many of them belong to various professional, cultural, religious and regional associations.
The leaders and representatives of many of these associations are here today. Whatever we discuss and agree on
will be taken to the members of the various associations and group. To support us are subject specialists and
resource persons with knowledge and experience of the issues.
The outcome expected is a community action plan, a blueprint for collective action by the various association and
groups. I wish us all happy deliberations.
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The Nigerian High Commission is prepared to support the
community effort
Mr Francis Enya representing Ambassador Olukunle Bamgbose, the Acting Nigeria High
Commissioner to the UK
Mr Enya said he felt honoured and delighted to attend this conference as the title of the conference (Combating
Radicalisation and Knife Crime – The role of the Diaspora Community) is very relevant to the current issues faced by
the community. He had attended the funeral of a Nigerian, Michael Adegbite, a victim of knife crime and was
concerned by the fact that two of the three perpetrators of the crime were Nigerians. The Nigeria High Commission
was already thinking about a programme to bring the community together to address the issue when the invitation
to this conference came. The High Commission wants Nigerians in the UK to be law abiding and portrayed in a good
light. He asked some reflective questions as to whether

As parents, have we failed in our duties towards our children?

Is society to blame? Or are the laws helpful?
Examining the delicate
issue of parenting
within the constraining
laws, he recommended
that the community
should come together
to address these issues
and come up with a
way forward. The
Nigerian High
Commission is happy to
give their support to
such community
initiatives.
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Under the new knife law, it’s two strikes and you’re out
Detective Inspector Catherine Goodwin representing Chief Inspector Susan Pawsey,
Southwark Police
Detective Inspector Catherine Goodwin said for many young people in many London postcodes, the only way to feel
safe on the streets is to be part of a gang and to carry a knife. Peer pressure plays a big part. She said people carry
knives for respect, street cred and protection. Young people feel they have to carry a knife because everyone else
does. She talked about what the Met police have been doing about knife crime. She said there has been a 22%
increase in knife violence over the past year. The Operations Sector investigates these crimes – stabbings/robberies
involving knives - and three key aims are to:
1. Investigate the people who carry knives
2. Investigate the importation and selling of knives
3. Engage the public to increase the awareness of knife crime
She said knife crime is a priority for the Metropolitan Police and Southwark Police. Over one week in Southwark this
summer, the Territorial Support Group (TSG) searched estates, finding combat knives and samurai swords hidden
away for future use. Twenty-six such weapons were deposited in surrender bins. The Met also ran Operation Sceptre
to tackle people who habitually carry knives and those who import and sell them. The key activities involved
identifying the retailers who sell knives to children and educational talks to pupils. She said a new legislation (two
strikes and you are out) was passed in July. Anyone caught twice carrying or in possession of knives faces 6 months
in prison (adults) or 4 months in detention (youths). She revealed that the Borough Commander Alexander Gibson
has instructed the force to increase the number of its targeted stop and search. Stop and search – has attracted lots
of publicity and there have been suggestions to increase this in Southwark to help tackle the knife problem. But it
was said that stop and
search is also highly
controversial and subject to
abuse. Mr Richard Taylor
suggested that it could be
rebranded by calling it ‘stop
and save’ and such
rebranding is needed to
change attitude regarding
the relationship between
the police and young
people.
The operation seeks to
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improve communications with the community. She called on the community to work with the Police to tackle knife
crime. She wants the community to share intelligence including information on those importing knives and those
carrying them. Some of the challenges faced by the police include failure of witnesses to help during investigations.
She welcomes suggestions on how the police could work better with victims and gain the trust of victims and the
community during investigations.
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Discussion
At the discussion session that followed, one of the issues raised was that young people may be reluctant to trust or
communicate with the police. She suggested that Intermediaries are needed to act as liaison between the police and
young people to help bridge the communication gap.
One of the priorities of the police should be to build trust and relationships with victims.
Another question raised was whether police forces liaise with each other to share information/ intelligence and they
questioned the extent of their
engagement with the community.
In the audience were various community
leaders and they questioned which
group they have been liaising with.
PC Nsikan Etuk of the Nigerian Police
Forum, a group of serving and retired
police officers of Nigerian heritage that
started in 2009, said one of their key
aims has been to increase relationships
between the police and Nigerian
community.
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We need a total reorientation of our children to use knives only for
domestic cooking
Aunty Julie Coker
Aunty Julie Coker called for a minute’s silence in memory of Damilola Taylor and another victim of knife crime who
was buried a few days ago. She asked all delegates to read the first paragraph of DTT’s mission statement together.
She recalled that as a child growing up, she associated using a knife when killing a chicken. She narrated the first
time she heard about knife crime was when Esther Johnson stabbed her lover to death in Nigeria. Using a humorous
example she made the point that knife crime is alien to the Nigeria community and wondered what has changed
that. She recommended a total reorientation such that children should be taught to use knives only in the kitchen for
domestic food preparation.
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Young people are being targeted by extremists for groomingPC Rick Warrington, SO15 Counter Terrorism Command, Metropolitan Police
PC Warrington told the conference that a Congolese youth was serving 18 years in prison for planning a public
execution and beheading of a policeman or soldier in the manner of the Lee Rigby tragedy. This happened six
months after he converted to Islam. The story was used to exemplify the speed at which converts can be groomed to
carry out extremist violence. He called on the community to be vigilant to such threats and assist the police by
sharing information. He asked community leaders and faith leaders to share information with them. He asked if
there are any religious leaders in the audience noting that some of the vulnerable people are actually ‘angels on
Sundays but demons on Mondays’
He said the objective of SO15 is not to arrest people but to divert those at risk away from extremist activities
through intensive support. He said the UK government’s counter terrorism strategy (CONTEST) has four strands:
1. Pursue –Apprehend those involved in terrorist acts
2. Protect – Strengthen, build and protect infrastructure e.g. buildings, installing CCTVs, bollards
3. Prepare – Mitigate against attacks and reduce the impact of a terrorist attack e.g. carnage during the
July 7 2005 bombings were reduced
4. Prevent Agenda - This is designed for the pre-criminal space - to identify vulnerable people and support
them via the Channel Intervention programme
He said radicalisation is a process or journey and dialogue with people deemed vulnerable to radicalisation is
important. ‘Engage and Stop’ is one of the Channel Intervention Programmes. He said the trend was for younger
and younger people to be targeted by extremists for grooming. He said much of the grooming takes place on the
internet. He warned against searching for extremist material on the internet.
Leroy Logan buttressed this by encouraging parents to adopt stop and search at home and said it is a legitimate
measure for parents who have children and young people still living with them. He said, ‘The internet puts the
world in your children’s bedroom and you have a right to know what they are doing’. PC Warrington went on to
highlight some Key Issues:
1. Youths travelling to Syria to join the Islamic State are the result of radicalisation taking place in the
UK
2. Extremists are using on-line social media (twitter, facebook) to indoctrinate and to recruit. How
many parents know what their children are reading on-line or who they are speaking to?
3. Young girls travelling to IS/Syria to become Jihadi brides
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To safeguard our youths, the Police work with sectors and institutions to raise awareness in schools, NHS and
mental health departments.
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Discussion
At the discussion session, it was noted that the perception of the Muslim community in the media since July 7
London bombings has not been good. It was
agreed that perceptions needs to be changed
at the grassroots level. It was also noted that
engagement and interaction of the police
with youth needs to improve. The Police
Support Teams in each borough should be
visible and engage more with the youth and
should be supportive. Community leaders
also need to play a role and should be more
visible.
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Radicalisation is a risk to society
Sally Evans, a victim’s parent and Mike Jervis former CEO of DTT
Sally Evans gave an emotional speech on how her son, Thomas Evans who died two years ago, had converted to
Islam and was radicalised to become a terrorist. He had changed his name to Abdullah Hakeem and joined Al
Shabaab, a terror group based in Kenya. She told the conference, her first public discussion of the issue: ‘I ask myself
how he went from being such a
sweet boy to becoming a leading
member of Al Shabab’
She said, ‘If a young man from
High Wycombe raised in a secular
household can become a terrorist,
it can happen to anyone’. She said
the family had not challenged his
conversion to Islam but realised
his outlook suddenly changed and
he railed against them warning,
‘You are destined for hell unless
you convert to Islam’. Thomas (aka the white beast) was eventually killed by the Kenyan army at the age of 25.
Sally said Thomas had practiced an ideology which has hijacked Islam and warned that this is a threat/ risk to the
society, not only to Muslims. She hoped that sharing her story could help to, ‘Stamp out Islamic Radicalisation’.
Supporting Sally Evans was Mike Jervis, past CEO of DTT who had worked tireless to prevent youths from crime and
to turn around their lives in a more positive way.
Whilst working at DTT, he has dealt with 49 deaths and that was very sad for the community to lose such young
people. He said, ‘The youths shouldn’t blame the police for stopping and searching them - they should blame the
guys who are carrying knives.’
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Develop good role models for black youths
Ade Solanke, Playwright and Founder of Spora Stories
Ade has been inspired to talk about the Diasporas, their experiences and the pressures they face, using theatre. She
talked about the important role of arts in addressing social issues.
She is the founder of Spora Stories which explores the processes, the ‘Why’, that goes on to lead to bad outcomes
for young people. For example, the Pandora Box Play reveals the heartbreak behind the difficult choices some
parents must make – and the price their children pay. She said Mr Richard Taylor, Leroy Logan, CANUK and some
others members of the community were very supportive during the making of the Play. East End Boys/ Westend
Girls is another play which narrates the challenges of a world of divisions (of cultures and classes, of wealth and
opportunity, of have and have-not) faced by black youth growing up in different parts of the city. She also runs arts
workshops.
Ade recommends the development of good role models on TV for black boys. She called on young people to attend
arts exhibitions and invited all to one organised by Spora Stories which runs from the 16th of October to the middle
of February next year.
The discussion examined the role of media that highlights only the negative behaviour among young people but
ignores their positive achievements. The media is quick to report incidents but declines to report when invited to
witness the positive contributions of young people.
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The root cause of the problem is crack cocaine
Leroy Logan MBE, Retired Police Superintendent & Former Chairman of the Black Police
Association
Leroy Logan took an analytical view of the cause of the problem of knife crime linking it to the advent of crack
cocaine on the streets of Britain in the late 90s. He said this used to be an American problem but when the US
authorities launched a campaign to disrupt the trade, it was displaced. The international drug dealers found it easier
to bring it to Europe so, ‘All of a sudden there was a saturation of crack cocaine on the streets of London’. He said,
the trade expanded because it is, ‘A highly concealable, transferable and high mark-up commodity so Mr and Mrs
Drug dealer started using street youths to deliver the product. ’ Because the drugs are easy to conceal even in the
mouth, it is seen as a low-risk trade that could earn thousands of pounds daily. The need to protect their markets or
territories soon led to the development of gangs and the advent of the postcode war. The music that reflects gang
activities and the media (both conventional and social media) helped amplify it, creating the current crises in London
and across many UK cities.
He said the legacy of Damilola Taylor and Stephen Lawrence has changed the way the police operate. He raised
questions on how we can encouraged our young people to go to school, listen to their parents and avoid the
trappings and allure of quick wealth and the negative activities. Young people are looking for safety – educating our
young people to get away from the streets into the safety of homes is paramount. ‘The question we now face as a
community, as professionals, as police, is how do we educate our kids to get away from the safety of the streets to
the safety of the home?’
We need to devise effective strategy for doing this. He gave as an example of a project in which he took 15 young
people to a boot camp in Ashford Kent. This broke down artificial barriers such as post codes and made them aware
of their rights and responsibilities. He also educated them on the ‘search and stop’ policy
He made the following recommendations:
1. To build the bridge between young people and the police – Education was key
2. A project sounding out what is causing youth crime in the community is required
3. Mapping of all the different organisations working on the issue – their purpose, remit, aims and objectives
4. Family engagement and support is important: ‘If family do not educate the youths, the streets will’
5. Churches and business people, just like the police, should be present and should identify/ provide
intelligence on vulnerable families
6. Educate the media so that more positive stories are out there e.g. media coverage for youths who have
turned away from crime and are making positive contributions to society
7. We should ‘Do More for Less’ in view of the changes following the recession.
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He said there are gaps in the police – the community relations. We should find out where the gaps are and scope
them. He suggested the provision of community cohesion programmes which assist young people by identifying
talents and providing activities for development through sports, engagement, jobs, education etc.
Janet Hill, Chair of the Metropolitan Police Black Police Association spoke on the role of the Metropolitan Police
Black Police Association. She said she has been a Met Police officer for 21 years. Met Police Black Police Association
has celebrated its 20th anniversary. Leroy Logan is one of the founding fathers of the association. The association
operates nationally in the 43 police forces in England and Wales and has three main passions:

Officers/staff – there is a supportive network in place including recruitment

Young people – VOYAGE youth leadership programme for young people, which aims to nurture leadership in
young people to make positive change within their communities

Communities – Bridging the gap in relations with the community.
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The consequences of a criminal record are dire: Keep the Future
Bright
Mrs Yemisi Jenkins, President, Association of British Law Enforcement Officers
Mrs Jenkins talked about the damaging impact of crime on the future of young people. She said the consequences of
a criminal record can be dire when applying for jobs, insurance, mortgage etc. She said spent and unspent
convictions may still apply as they remain on file for example when travelling to the USA or applying for housing.
Access to housing could be restricted. The psychological effects on the parents, siblings and the family could be
devastating. She recommended improved engagement with the youths as essential. She also advocated for a change
in parenting approach, highlighting the conflict between the ‘Do as you are told’ approach in many homes and the
engagement or ‘Open Dialogue’ approach in schools. She said parents have a duty to educate their children on the
consequences of bad/ criminal behaviour which could last a life time.
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Enlisting Youth Participation in Community Initiatives
Dr Toyin Onibokun and Mrs Florence Emakpose
In this session some of the initiatives by the community and other charities to engage the youths were
discussed.
Dr Toyin Onibokun in her presentation played a video about Joel Adesina a 15 year old that was stabbed to
death, to highlight the issues.
Florence Emakpose narrated her story as to why she became passionate about helping young people. She
said it is a challenge to all of us to love children more and judge them less. Her charity provides different
services for young people including coaching, group mentoring, residential trips, parenting support and
training. Young people are taken on trips to places such as Cambridge University, House of Parliament etc
to encourage them to aspire and their achievements are celebrated.
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Youths are our biggest assets: We must encourage them to engage
in worthy entrepreneurship
Lagun Aknloye representing CANUK Chairman, Mr Babatunde Loye
The Chairman of the Central Association of Nigerians in the United Kingdom (CANUK) called on all bodies,
organisations and law enforcement agencies to work together to eradicate the menace of knife crime in the
community. He said children, wanting to stand out and be different in a society where they feel rejected, unloved
and unwanted, take to gangs and crime. The effect is that fear has engulfed many communities over the presence
and possibility of the strike of gangs and knife wielding youths. He said the black community where such is
considered to be most rampant should trust and cooperate with the governmental agencies and organisations
seeking to battle this problem that has virtually broken up the community.
He suggested that children who potentially might get involved in crime should be heard out and their needs, where
possible, should be met. He said youth are our biggest assets. We must identify their potentials and skills and do all
we can to encourage them to engage in worthy entrepreneurship.
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Steps Towards Safer Streets: Young People’s Perspective
Michael Olatunji & Alika
Michael and Alika are young people working in the community. Both of them were involved with the Southwark
young advisors project in 2008 with youths. They gave their views on how to keep the streets safer. They said the
cause of crime is economic deprivation and, as a community, we should be asking ourselves what we are doing to
engage the youths to prevent them from engaging in criminal activity such as selling drugs. They suggested that
school years 9 and 10 are the critical/ key moment
for children as they get bored very quickly and look
for things to get engaged with. They recommend that
children at this stage should be put on beneficial
programmes such as the Black Police Association
Programme, a residential programme which
generates positive results. They also suggested that
the success of youths should be celebrated through
programmes such as Spirit of London Awards
organised by the Damilola Taylor Trust. They wanted
the media to be encouraged to attend such awards ceremonies for children. They also recommended youth clubs,
arts clubs etc as useful ways of getting children positively engaged. They talked about City Safe Havens – a
community-led campaign to make our streets safer which involves young people building relationships with the
police and local businesses to create safe havens in our Cities. Many people are not aware of these programmes and
more awareness is needed.
Regarding Stop and Search to keep youth safe, they think prevention is better than cure. They suggested reaching
out to youths who have lost loved ones through crime as quickly as possible to prevent them from seeking revenge.
They think the reasons why a higher proportion of black young people engage in crime includes not having enough
activities to keep them busy, parents not working and unable to afford stimulating activities for their children to
keep busy.
Mr Taylor commended Michael and Alika for their hard work and dedication to helping youths in the community.
Mr Leroy commented that crime has no colour and that marginalisation and deprivation, which are part of the
causes of youth crime, was prevalent in the black communities and that the media tend to focus on London. Being a
‘Black Boy in London’ is therefore a double issue.
26
Empower young people through Entrepreneurship and IT training
Joshua King, Bitpesa
Joshua King works with Bitpesa, a payments company that enables individuals and small businesses around the
world to send and receive fast, reliable and secure payments to and from sub-Saharan Africa. He suggested that
young people should be empowered through entrepreneurship and technology training to make positive changes in
the community including launching businesses by the Afro-Caribbean communities. He suggested the development
of training ambassadors in universities. He called on Churches to contribute towards helping the youths by
supporting projects aimed towards their welfare and development.
27
We must stop being spectators and become players
Dr Dayo Olomu, Corporate Trainer and Human Capital Development Expert
Dr Dayo Olomu started by asking whether Knowledge is Power? He then asserted that ‘Applied Knowledge’ not just
knowledge alone, is power. He said 3 million ethnic minorities voted at the last general elections but only 20% of the
1.5 million Nigerians in the UK were estimated to have voted. He said as a community, if we are ever going to make
the change we desire, we should be more involved in British public life including being engaged in the political
process. In a passionate speech he advised the Nigeria diaspora to follow the example of the various Asian diaspora.
The Bangladeshi diaspora control Tower Hamlets because they are organised and united.
He asked the audience whether they are players or spectators in the British political process and public life stressing
that we cannot make the
desired change as spectators.
He recommended that
parents should sort out their
children’s lives before
relocating back to Nigeria. He
called for collaborative
action in the community in
order to influence the
political systems with our
numbers. He said the highest
number of Nigerians live in
Southwark, but there are
only 6 Nigerian councillors in the borough. He wants us to leverage our skills and experience to support the
community, for example by serving as school governors, trustees or board members of charities and public bodies.
He suggested that we should use social media more effectively to make a positive impact.
He advocated the launch of a community mentoring scheme involving, for example, parents who are doctors,
lawyers, accountants etc. We needed to be players by getting involved in the political process. Everyone should
register to vote and, more importantly, Vote on Election Day.
28
Discussion, Issues and Conclusions
Radicalisation and knife crime are tendencies that are foreign to the diaspora community. Culturally, incidents of
knife crime were extremely rare in the Nigerian community. The more elderly community leaders recalled the
earliest incident ever known in the community. Also radicalisation and terrorist activities are alien to the community.
The young people that were radicalised came from homes where they were brought up with good values consistent
with responsible citizenship.
The factors that lead young people from the diaspora community into criminal activities result from influences from
the environment. The main influences identified from the discussions could be put broadly under three categories:
economic, political/social/legal and technological. But all three are interlinked to produce the strong web of
influence that get many young people trapped in a life of crime.
The economic environment
Economic deprivation is a push factor for young people going into crime. Knife crime is more prevalent in
economically deprived communities. In one category are parents that are too busy at work making ends meet and
have less time to supervise their children. In the other category are parents who don’t work and rely on state
support, including single-parent households. This group have limited resources to adequately provide for their
children and are unable to inspire them. The children are bored as their parents are unable to afford stimulating
activities that can keep them engaged. A life of gangs and crime provides an easy alternative to fill the vacuum keeping them engaged, offering economic benefits to leverage up to their peers and providing a feeling of belonging
and safety.
The political/ social/ legal environment
As the issue of knife crime and radicalisation affects mostly the ethnic minority communities, there is a lack of
political will to tackle the root cause of the problem. The affected diaspora community, though large, is not
sufficiently engaged in the political process and public life to be able to influence government policies and the
various institutions (schools, hospitals, the judiciary) that deal with the issues. The policy makers therefore pay
inadequate attention and resources to tackling the problem from the source. The policies are not culturally sensitive
with regards to the Diaspora community.
The legal system is in conflict with the diaspora culture in some areas particularly in the area of parenting. The
inability to manage the conflict has seen some parents on the wrong side of the law, some ending up with a criminal
record, reinforcing the cycle of exclusion and deprivation. Others are shirking their responsibilities as parents for fear
of finding themselves on the wrong side of the law. The various institutions (such as schools, NHS and social services)
in their approach to protection make navigating this area tricky for many parents in the community.
The social environment also contributes to the challenge. Many in the Diaspora community hold on to certain values.
Religion plays a part in reinforcing this as many regularly attend churches or mosques. Religious leaders play a big
role in shaping the community value system. As an example, many of these leaders teach the doctrine that the way
to financial success lies in giving to religious leaders while ignoring the values of good character, enterprise and hard
work. This in part fuels the appetite for financial success at the expense of other values as religious leaders accept
gifts without questioning the source. There is a lack of successful enterprises and promising start-ups to inspire
young people in the community and offer them opportunities. There are, therefore, very few successful role models
to inspire young people who then look for alternative role models in gang bosses and hip hop rappers who glorify
violence. The media also plays a role as they focus on reporting crime and other negative activities of young people
while ignoring their positive contributions and achievements.
29
The technological environment
The UK is one of the wealthiest and most technologically advanced countries of the world. Fast internet access is
widely available in homes, schools, and public spaces with average speed of about 20Mbps. Deprivation as a global
concept is relative as even in the deprived communities in the UK children have readily available access to high
speed internet connectivity. This, as Leroy Logand puts it, ‘Puts the world in your child’s bedroom’ (or their handset).
On the internet various materials exist that are unhealthy for children. Parents therefore have the duty to control
what their children access online. The challenge is that many parents are unable to use IT controls to stop their
children accessing unhealthy materials online as the children are more technologically savvy than their parents.
Moreover the children have access elsewhere - at school, on the streets etc.
Criminals of all sorts therefore use the internet to groom, recruit and abuse children and lure them into criminal
activities. The trend now is that younger and younger people are being targeted by extremists and other criminals
for grooming.
30
A blueprint for Community Action
In the discussions the community leaders expressed the desire to work together to address the issue. Various ideas
and recommendations were discussed that could form a basis for collective action by the community. It was
observed that different community groups are working on various initiatives but each is unaware of what the others
are doing. It was suggested that as the first step, a mapping of the various groups and initiatives they are working on
should be embarked upon. This will avoid duplicating efforts and could be used for identifying and scoping the gaps.
This could provide a framework for cooperation and information sharing on what is being done and where the gaps
that need to be addressed are. Following that, the following key initiatives should then be established:
1. A community-wide programme of education and enlightenment should be developed focusing on
parents and young people. This should cover parenting, mental health, appropriate use of the internet,
the law and implication of criminal activities, political engagement, responsible citizenship etc. All the
community groups and religious leaders should cooperate in developing and rolling out the programme.
2. A forum for community liaison with the police involving community leaders and young people should be
established. This should foster exchange of ideas on the approach to tackling the problem of crime and
the sharing of information. The forum should arrange regular dialogue between young persons, parents,
religious leaders and the police.
3. A community-wide mentoring programme for young people bringing together the various groups
already working on mentoring to form a stronger and wider network for skills and information sharing.
This should focus on helping young people in various aspects such as education, careers, work/
apprenticeships, leadership development, enterprise/ start-up etc.
4. A community think tank to research social and policy issues affecting the community, mobilise the
community to improve their participation in the political process, advocate for change and advance the
position of the community within UK public life.
5. A youth awards scheme to identify talents, recognise them and support their development. Within this,
establish a media group to devise strategies for promoting the positive contributions of young people in
the media.
6. A cultural programme to reconnect diaspora youths with their history, ancestry and the positive aspects
of their culture. Enlist the support of the Nigeria High Commission and the missions of other African/
Caribbean countries for the programme. The programmes should include cultural and educational
exchanges and visits for the benefit of young people.
31
Vote of thanks
Mr Bolaji Lewis gave the vote of thanks on behalf of Mr Richard Taylor, OBE
Mr Lewis thanked everyone involved in organising the conference including the Association of Nigerian Architects in
Britain, in particular, Dr Coker who organised the event in conjunction with Damilola Taylor Trust. He also thanked
the Trustees of Damilola Taylor trust, the speakers and contributors and everyone who attended the event.
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
This conference was supported by BitPesa.co
Damilola Taylor Trust, 18 Barrington Villas, London SE18 3SB
Tel. 07404 979044
[email protected]
damilolataylortrust.co.uk

DTT-report - Damilola Taylor Trust

Transcription

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