| Some
teenagers worry about walking home |
Postcode gangsInside
Out London's David Akinsanya travels through different territorial boundaries
to explore the postcodes of Hackney. He talks to the teenagers who live
in the area and looks at some of the projects helping to reduce fear of crime. David
also visits a local radio station which is trying to get young people talking
about postcode allegiances and crime in their neighbourhood. No-go areas?For
most of us postcodes mean nothing more than a bunch of numbers that indicate where
we are or where we want to go. But to a new generation of Londoners postcodes
have literally become danger-zones, marking out no-go-areas. | David
Akinsanya talks to a teenager attacked by a postcode gang |
Inside
Out London heads to the territories of Hackney and speaks with those kids who
are protecting themselves by staying in their own homes. For them crossing
a street means they could encounter danger from E5 gangs. It can sometimes
mean that a simple bus ride can become complicated, with teenagers skirting perceived
danger by passing through many different postcodes. While there are kids
who are pro-actively working to make Hackney a safer place to live, there are
still many problems facing young people including rivalry. Crime
figures 2005/06 | Total
number of offences Hackney |
Offences per 1000 population | England
and Wales | Apr-Jun
2005 | | | | Jul-Sep
2005 | | | | Oct-Dec
2005 | | | | | | | | Population
figures | Population | | | 53,046,224
England
and Wales |
Source: 成人快手 Office Crime Statistics, 2006.
Branded by your postcodeJoseph Pilgrim, a teenager living
in Hackney, says he feels like other kids in postcode gangs see him as a threat,
even though he is not in a gang. He feels like each person is branded by
the postcode they live in. One girl has been assaulted twice in the past
month by postcode gangs. | Teenagers
tackle the crime wave on the airwaves of Sound Radio |
She has
had her phone stolen and now takes a 20 minute journey home to avoid stepping
through the wrong postcode. Hackney is Superintendent Logan's precinct
and he is becoming increasingly worried about the dangers young people face due
to postcode gangs. John Jeffers, with a background in teenage gangs, is
working on programmes to create understanding and dialogue with young people in
postcode gangs. He's working with partners to end gang warfare via a local
radio station called Sound Radio.
The community project is encouraging
teenagers to talk about rivalry and break postcode boundaries. Links relating
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