OPM: Getting 'Connected'
| 'If any young person or adult here today is involved in gun crime, I hope that this conference has made them think.' |
Background
The Home Office wanted to find out what more could be done by the community and government together to tackle gun culture and gun crime.
Action
On 19 and 20 January 2004, participants from around the country came together for a two day conference in Birmingham to investigate the nature, causes and possible responses to gun culture and gun crime. The participants included young people, officers from local authorities, police officers, teachers, central government civil servants, activists on gun issues, youth workers, and others with direct experience of gun crime.
How did it work?
Working mainly in small groups, participants spent the two days sharing experiences and examples of good practice, and developing suggestions about the way forward. On the second day, the event used 'Open Space' as a way of working. Open Space involves participants taking on the responsibility for setting the agenda. All participants were invited to propose topics for discussion, and each topic was allocated a 'session slot'. Participants were free to move from group to group at any time, leading to variations in the numbers involved in and the duration of each group discussion.
Learning
What was the key message?
The 'Connected' event focused on action - what is working, what is not working and how we can make changes for the better. The participants identified a worrying shift in our experience of gun crime: many felt that there has been a significant escalation in gun violence in recent times. The key message from the event was that we must all work together to make positive changes so that in the future fewer people - especially young people - become victims of crime and more young people make positive choices about their future and enjoy fulfilling lives.
What are the causes of gun culture?
The primary concern of participants was about young men who have or use guns because they believe that guns give a person 'respect', power, and/or protection. Participants identified a wide range of factors - from global trends to individual circumstances - which contribute to gun culture and can lead to gun crime. A number of these factors impact directly on the lives of young boys and men in our communities, causing some to be caught up in criminal activities involving guns.
| 'Make it so that carrying a gun makes you less of a man.' |
What is being done?
The participants identified the following areas of work as critical to tackling the problems of gun crime: services for young people; changing the law and criminal justice procedures; the police response; information gathering and sharing; increasing understanding and raising awareness.
The participants emphasised that every individual and every organisation can and must do their part and take responsibility for improving the current situation. They believed that it was vital to forge and maintain links between the different parts of society.
Change
'We need to share good practice and the strategies that we have so that this event is not the end but just the beginning of the process.'
The Home Office responded to the messages from participants about the need to pull together information on initiatives, research, organisations and funding opportunities to support work in this area by setting up a new website with a searchable database. It is also offering a fund to support projects designed to tackle gun crime.
Further information
For the full report on the event, access to the website and information on the fund, see: www.homeoffice.gov.uk/crime/guncrime/connected/index.html
