Black church leaders say police ‘stop & search’ not the answer to violent crime
Youth work, not stop and search, is the community’s preferred way of preventing gun and knife crime, according to the leader of the African and Caribbean Evangelical Alliance (ACEA).
Posted: Friday, October 26, 2007, 12:38 (BST)
Youth work, not stop and search, is the community’s preferred way of preventing gun and knife crime, according to the leader of the African and Caribbean Evangelical Alliance (ACEA).
Rev Katei Kirby, CEO of ACEA – one of the UK’s leading black Christian umbrella organisations – works closely with Hope4London, which launched a report into church perceptions of crime on Monday.
The Church Consultation on Violent Crime, compiled by Premier Christian Radio in association with the Metropolitan Black Police Association and based on responses from nearly 3,400 people, showed that the top initiative Christians would like to take to make their community a safer place is youth work.
Rev Kirby was one of a group of black church leaders who met Gordon Brown this week to discuss crime and other issues affecting local communities.
She said the report reflects a better way of dealing with gun crime than that controversially proposed this week by Keith Jarrett, outgoing president of the National Black Police Association.
Mr Jarrett said he would be pressing police to stop and search more young people to help tackle gun and knife crime, and that the black community feels this is an effective way of reducing violence.
But Rev Kirby pointed to the report’s findings that 26 per cent of responses to the question “if there was one thing you could do to make your community a safer place, what would it be?” were linked to youth work.
While police influence was seen as the next most important factor (suggested by 14 per cent of respondents), this related mainly to more visible policing – there was no demand for new laws.
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The comments below are readers' personal opinions and are in no way intended to reflect the editorial opinion of Christian Today.
Added: Friday, October 26, 2007, 18:33 (BST)
I agree with Simon's comments here. Give the stop and search a chance and see if it does do anything.
Sally Cooke, London
Added: Friday, October 26, 2007, 17:41 (BST)
I agree with the Church Leader that "stop and search" may not be the only answer to the violent gun and knife culture within black communities in the UK. But I still think that it is a worth while option that should be given a trial. I am optimistic that the use of stop and search powers by the Police will bring a positive reduction in young people carrying and using these weapons. The Police just need to be cautious and sensitive and use these powers in an organised and informed manner, and based on intelligence.
At the end of the day , I believe every right thinking person wants to see an end to gun and knife violence among young people. No effort or suggestion made should be dismissed as unworkable until it is at least given a trial.
There are many reasons for knife and gun culture within black communities, most of them caused by the society itself.
When a child is born into abject poverty and depravity as is depicted by many council estates within black communities, when a growing child witnesses violence, drug use and gangsterism as he grows up, when a child is born into a disfunctional family and witnesses domestic violence regularly, when the only "male role model" a child can look up to is the gangster rapper, should we in the least be surprised that such a person sees violence and crime as a "normal" thing and therefore soon begins to express himself through the use of violence? When racism is expressed in any way shape or form, and a young black male realises that the colour of his skin DOES matter in whether he is allowed in class or excluded, or whether he gets that job or not,then we should not be surprised that he "learns" to be violent against a society he feels has alienated him and rebels against Law and Order.
My Book soon to be released and titled, "The Curse of Being Black in Britain" is an account of my personal experience of living in the UK as an ethnic minority. It also discusses many of the challenges that young black people face in the 21st century UK. There is also a detailed account of a Senio Police Officer's insight into the problems facing Young Black Male in the UK based on his own experience of working with Operation Trident which deals with Gun crime within black communities over the last three years. Until many of these issues which I have highlighted already are dealt with, the end to gun and knife violence within black communities will remain a very long way away!
Simon Owoade, West London, UK.
