Enfield

Working with the Metropolitan Police in Enfield

Leap have been working with The Metropolitan Police in Enfield for almost 3 and a half years. In that time we have delivered 2 elements of training one to a group of approx 60 professionals made up of Police, Youth Offending, Youth Service, Local Authority Community Safety Unit, Schools staff (mentors and teachers) around Gang and Youth Violence. This has been delivered to a number of focus targeted groups both in and out of the school setting.

In 2008 there were 5 youth murders in 5 months, all from the black community. One of the sessions described above was delivered 10 days after one murder at a local youth centre to which the deceased was a former member. Over the 6 week session we had 22 attendees 80% of which had a 100% attendance. Week 1 much talk of revenge and reprisals. At the end we hadn’t had one act of violence from the attendees all aged between 14 -22. Feedback glowing.

In summer 2009 a 5 week session was held on an estate in a disused community hall. This estate was identified as an ongoing hotspot around ASB and had begun to see the development of a predominantly white ethnic gang being created. During the summer we saw a reduction of 53% in ASB and Enfield Sickest Soldiers are no longer around.

In April 2009 major tensions within a local secondary school between Black African Caribbean and Turkish / Kurdish males. This resulted in violence in and out of school. 5 Week session with a mixed cohort of 30 males from both communities identifying the main antagonists resulting in a major depreciation in tensions no longer impacting on the local safer neighbourhood team.

In an effort to support the above Leap have also trained another more peer lead project , the Youth Engagement Panel ( again formed out of the murders – 60 young men and women 17 – 27 years, many unemployed, ex-LAC, ex-young offenders, many lost peers siblings to knife crime) all trained in youth work, sexual health, substance misuse, facilitation and 15 in Conflict management. They now deliver a different tier of challenging gangs – more aimed at those youngsters always in conflict with peers, teachers, parents and so forth. The response has been overwhelming. Undoubtedly it is Leap’s planning, delivery and importantly ongoing support to the multi-agency, Police led initiative that has enabled workers to deliver all these strands.

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