Gang rivalry and street crime in London and particular Waltham Forest is an area that remains a constant threat to the lives of many young people and their families. The lure of being involved in a gang and street crime is hard to overcome when the perception amongst youth is that opportunities for young people are decreasing.

As a county, we have come to recognise that there are no simple solutions to the gang and street crime. There is an urgent need in communities rife with gang and street crime to mobilize the creative energies of the entire community in a comprehensive campaign to identify the nature and extent of the youth gang problem, to prevent at-risk youth from joining gangs, to intervene with gang-involved youth to redirect their lives on a positive course, to suppress gang-related crime, and to respond to the needs of gang-related crime victims and their families.

Over the past three years ACF has helped a lot of young people out of street crime into more positive lifestyles. We have also helped many residents feel a lot safer due to the reduction in gangs of youths hanging around on estates and streets corners, structured meetings between parents and their young people and have resolved many misunderstandings which are occasionally the root cause.

ACF’s gang interventions address needs and risk factors underlying joining a gang, leaving a gang, gang violence, and the gang mind-set. These anti-gang strategies allow participants to identify personal risk factors and develop action plans to address them.

ACF has always played a vital role in easing tensions between rival gangs and individuals, locally and across boroughs, reducing significantly the possibility of young people being seriously and even fatally injured. The foundation has helped remove many weapons from the streets, again reducing the risk of serious harm.

‘As long as there are gangs operating on the streets of East London, ACF will continue to work and fight for the freedom of young people’ Mike Jervis Programme Co-Director of ACF