Don't call them gangs - a verdict from the street

The word “gang” has been banned by a government advisory body when describing loitering youths who commit crime and behave antisocially.

Use of the term could worsen levels of offending among young people who feel vilified for hanging around with their friends, according to the Youth Justice Board.

In a recent study, it uses the term “group-related” instead of gangs. The report said: “There has been a noticeable trend towards referring to groups of young people indiscriminately as gangs.

“This is not appropriate and it could exacerbate the extent and seriousness of group-related offending or create problems where none previously existed.”

Some youths could find the gang image “seductive” because of gangster movies and “gangsta”-style music, the study added.

“Mislabelling of youth groups as gangs runs the risk of glamorising them and may even encourage young people to become involved in more serious criminal behaviour.”

Lee McConville, 22, who grew up in the gang-dominated Lozells area of Birmingham, agreed that labelling any group of ordinary youths hanging about in the streets as gang members was a common mistake, and one that could have serious consequences.

"When they are labelled a gang member they are proud of it. They love the attention and perhaps try to make a name for themselves, and maybe get up to ten times more than they would otherwise. They read about themselves in the newspapers and they see it as praise."

The YJB report tries to draw a distinction between groups of youngsters and gangs, which it says tend to have older members, use more violence and are often involved in the drugs trade.

Although young people are sometimes attracted by the gang’s power, they are unlikely to be recruited for anything more than menial tasks, the report added.

Mr McConville agreed, but warned that young people were continually crossing that barrier and being drawn in by gang culture, through older brothers and sisters, cousins, and friends at school. Children as young as 11 might be on the edges of a gang, and by the age of 13 they would be allowed to handle guns.

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