City’s crimefighters back tough new laws on gangs

Nov 25 2009 by Jonathan Walker, Birmingham Mail

TOUGH new measures allowing courts to ban gang members from meeting each other, staking out territory and even wearing gang colours have been welcomed by police and Birmingham City Council.

Powers to apply for injunctions were included in the Policing and Crime Act, which became law this month, based on the experiences of Birmingham City Council and West Midlands Police.

A new injunction will enable a court to impose a range of restrictions or requirements on individuals, such as not entering a specified place, to prevent them claiming territory, and not being with named members of a gang.

Courts will also be able to order individuals not to wear particular items of clothing, such as gang colours or balaclavas preventing identification.

The injunctions will apply only to gang members aged 18 or over, but this week the Government announced plans to extend the measure to younger people as well.

The Safer Birmingham Partnership, an agency involving West Midlands Police and Birmingham City Council, is leading the city’s efforts to reduce gang activity.

Spokesman Chris Dyer said: “We will be using the over-18 version of the injunction once that becomes possible in the new year.

“Simply being able to tell someone that they can’t go to a certain place with a certain person is a very powerful measure.”