Home Secretary appeals to parents over gun crime

Home Secretary Jacqui Smith appealed to parents today to play their part in tackling gang crime.

Parents sometimes think, she said, that their teenagers rarely listen to them, but "actually they do".

That was the reason, she said, she has launched an eight-page booklet advising parents how to spot if their child is in a gang.

She said: "Of course there are problems. There are people - some relatively young - who are willing to commit horrendous acts of violence.

"But what we also know is that we can change things by working together."

She continued: "I think that parents are a vital source of support both within communities and, specifically, to their own children and to young people."

The Gangs: You and Your Child booklet talks parents through practical steps to take if they think their child is in a gang and how to stop them getting involved in gang culture.

It suggests looking out for the teenager using new or unusual slang words, using a new nickname and suddenly acquiring new possessions or money.

Parents are advised to be involved in their child's life, to know their friends and their friends' families, and to encourage them to get involved in positive pastimes and activities.

The booklet also advocates listening to a child's reasons for being in a gang and talking through the consequences instead of issuing orders and ultimatums.

It was developed with the help of the Association of Chief Police Officers, local authorities and parenting organisations like the Family and Parenting Institute and community groups including Mothers Against Violence.

It will initially be distributed in areas involved in the Government's Tackling Gangs Action Programme - London, Liverpool, Manchester and Birmingham.

Clare Tickell, chief executive of the children's charity NCH, said such advice should be backed up with practical support.

She said: "Parents need help to develop qualities like self-confidence and resilience in their child so that they have the emotional skills to deal with conflict, without resorting to violence."

The Home Secretary was speaking at the launch of a victim support charity set up by the mothers of two teenagers killed in a notorious drive-by shooting in 2003.

Letisha Shakespeare, 17, and Charlene Ellis, 18, were killed in a botched gang attack outside a New Year party in Birmingham.

At this morning's launch of the New Year Shooting (NYS) Memorial Trust at Birmingham's Aston Villa stadium, Charlene's mother Beverley Thomas told friends, family and supporters: "The reason we set up the charity is to enable us to assist families traumatised through violent crime and bring in changes.

"We recognise that support is needed, through our own experience.

"I don't know how I managed after losing one daughter, as a grieving mother, and caring for another daughter through her critical stages."

Marcia Shakespeare, mother of Letisha, said: "The disturbing part of all this episode was that each and every one of us had no support to rebuild our lives after this violent crime."

Ms Thomas added: "We have also met parents crying out for help for their young ones, but who've had the doors shut on them because people are too frightened to work with them.

"The NYS Trust believes everyone deserves a chance in life."

Charlene's twin sister Sophie Ellis, who was injured in the shooting, also spoke of the need for support for victims that "we feel we didn't get".

She added: "We feel this trust will be a living memorial to Charlene and Letisha."

Ms Smith praised the charity's work in giving individuals and families affected by gun and gang-related crime "vital support to lessen the suffering".

She said: "This is just as important as strong enforcement action by the police because we can only win the battle if we all work together."

The booklet Gangs: You and Your Child can be seen at www.direct.gov.uk/gangs