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Churches join to tackle gang violence
by Ed Beavan
%231%23.jpg) Poignant: teenagers in Islington rally in protest about escalating knife crime, after the murder of 16-year-old Ben Kinsella, in the borough last month PA |
| CHURCH leaders from different denominations came together on Monday to express their concern over the recent spate of knife crime and gang-related violence in British cities.
They gathered in the House of Commons for the launch of a new report, Who Is My Neighbour?, which pleads for united action among churches, government agencies, and community groups to address the factors that lead to gang activity.
The report was produced by Churches Together in England, and includes a foreword by the Bishop of Liverpool, the Rt Revd James Jones.
Speaking at the launch, David Lammy, the Minister for Skills and a former member of the Archbishops’ Council, describedthe work of initiatives, such as the Street Pastors scheme, which had helped reduce gang violence in many cities.
“This is a timely and appropriate report, with the Church coming together to look at the central problem; but we recognise that there’s much, much more the Churches and people of faith can do, and it has to go beyond just those in church.
“The Church can be a powerful social agent, and meets people where they are.”
The General Secretary of Churches Together in England, the Revd Dr David Cornish, said the “heart of God is broken by meaningless violence.” He pointed out that churches were probably the largest provider of youth facilities in the country.
He referred to the Book of Zechariah, where Jerusalem is described as full of old people, as young people play in the streets: “a community free of fear and violence”, Dr Cornish said.
He concluded: “This report dreams a dream of what might be. For God’s sake, and the sake of young people and their parents, may we have the will to turn it into reality.”
Dr Joe Aldred, one of the authors of the report, outlined a series of recommendations for Churches, the Government, and the police. Many of the proposals were not new, he said, but it was very much a case of keeping going. He described the attempts to reduce youth violence as “a marathon, not a sprint”.
The recommendations include the development of partnerships between Churches and specialist agencies; placing young people in positions of responsibility and leadership in the Church; and encouraging people to move back into deprived areas, to support those who live there.
The report recommends that the Government should invest more in restorative- justice programmes, and support church organisations that work with young people.
The Home Office Minister Tony McNulty also attended the launch of the report, and praised its underlying redemptive theme. But he criticised the Opposition’s recent “knee-jerk” responses to knife crime, which call for five years’ imprisonment for those who carry knives.
“Young people who carry knives need to be punished, yes, but there are more imaginative ways of doing it. Faith groups are central in this investment in the spiritual and human capital of our communities.
“The report has a starting point of redemption, and that our children matter, saying there is potential in every one of our young people.”
He related his experience of watching a 71-year-old female Street Pastor in Brixton break up a fight over £2 and a bag of chips — something he described as “fantastic”.
Another of the report’s authors, Dr Keith Hebden, of the Queen’s Foundation in Birmingham, stressed that they were not expecting the Government to put more money into youth facilities, but wanted Churches to build on the work that is already taking place.
A PDF copy of the report is available at www.churches-together.net. |
