At 0,58 - 1,07:„Micardo", gang member
At 1,09 - 1,13 „X", gang member (careful, only a short glimpse in picture)
At 1,27 - 1,33 „Juan", gang member
At 2,02 - 2,12 Lubi Yenga, a victim’s uncle
At 2,28 - 2,33 Mark Prince, father (careful, only a short glimpse in picture)
At 3,02 - 3,14 Yasmin Ali, mother
At 3,54 - 4,24 Shaun Bailey, Social worker
At 4,58 - 5,24 Peter Squires, criminologist

At 5,46 - 6,09 Jon Murphy, Armed crime task force

At 6,34 - 6,45 „Shaun", dropout
At 7,11 - 10,34 Emmanuel Bribi, musician
At 7,58 - 8,37 Peter Squires, criminologist

At 8,52 - 8,58
Narration:  Bettina Madlener
Camera: Yohei Morimoto
Editor: Chris Lattimore

Rights:                         Scenes
ORF Eigendreh                   shots of Brixton streets, Int. Gang
                                        Music workshop + Interviews
                                        Int. Peter Squires, Int. Shaun Bailey
                                        Int. Jon Murphy,   U Tube

Raw Cut Productions             all security camera shots  (21 seconds)

ITN:                                    funeral, police, armed raids, cemetery
                                        Int. Mark Prince, Hone Secretary meeting gang,
                                        anxious parents, Int. Yasmin Ali 

(altogether 3,22 mins ITN material)

Violence in Britain - Teenage murders in London

 

 

In no other industrialised nation do so many children, no matter their skin colour, grow under such adverse circumstances as in Great Britain. A Europe wide study of the OECD, the Organisation for Economic Collaboration and Development, concluded that they have worse development opportunities than their contemporaries in many of the new European Union countries. The consequences of this on the country are dramatic, with anti-social attitudes on the increase, gangs of youths  terrorising inner city neighbourhoods and underage drug use flourishing. Youngsters are drifting into crime at ever younger ages. The police force is struggling with constantly growing numbers of teenage murders. In London alone, twenty seven youths were shot or stabbed over the last year. Why is it that a highly developed society such as that in Great Britain is incapable of keeping its younger generation under control? Bettina Madlener in London has been investigating the causes.

 

Text

Music (CCTV footage of streets in of London, scenes of violence)

This is a normal day in London. There are more than 190 different gangs engaged in running battles across the city’s poorer areas.  Children grow up in an environment of gangland rap culture that glamorises violence and drugs, and regards those who go to school or work with contempt. In certain areas in south London last year several teenagers died, victims of gang terror. One of these areas is Brixton.  Here strangers are outcasts. This gang speaks openly about their culture.

 

“Everyone is afraid here, not just me” – (TC 0,50 – 0,52) Tao

“The streets are not safe” (TC 0,52 - -,55) Patrick

“We have nothing to do so we hang about the streets and get into trouble.” (TC 0,56 – 1,07) Martin

“Nowadays, people get stabbed for nothing. If he wants your mobile phone, he will just slash you for it” (TC 1,08 – 1,14) Tao

“I have been attacked because I wanted to help a friend. It was Halloween. They stabbed me here, and here, and here” (TC 1,16 – 1,25) Patrick

 

“It is about areas and districts. Peckham and Brixton cannot stand each other, so if someone from Peckham comes over here, that means trouble” (TC 1,26 – 1,33) Martin

 

Being in the wrong place at the wrong time can have fatal consequences. Last year, 27 youngsters became casualties in this bloody struggle. Almost all of them were black, as were their killers. Their families cannot understand why their children had to die. They feel abandoned by the government.

 

Lubi Yenga, Uncle (TC 2,01 – 2,12) Victor

“We hope that the public authorities will completely eradicate the arms culture from among our children.”

 

The former boxer Mark Prince lost his son Kyran two years ago. A classmate of his attacked him with a knife.

 

Mark Prince, father (TC 2,26 – 2,43) Martin

“I pray to God, please do not let my son be taken away from me. Deep down inside though, I know, if he died, that this was God’s will. Then, Lord, help me to put an end to this around here.”

 

Now he tries to keep in contact with the gangs. He speaks with their ringleaders, in the hope of saving other youngsters from the same fate. Faced with this daily threat parents are forced to keep a somewhat paranoid eye on their kids.

 

Yasmin Ali , mother (TC3,00 – 3,19) Angelika

“I no longer allow my son to go out into the street, I am afraid of what may happen to him. He stays with me all week, his friends are not allowed to go out any more either, because of the gangs. It’s becoming like the USA where violence rules. Much the same thing will be happening here too.”

 

According to a United Nations report, now Britain has actually become the most violent industrial nation. The chances of being assaulted or mugged on here are almost higher than in the United States, London more dangerous than New York. Recently the British Home Secretary, Jacqui Smith visited former gang leaders, but even she acknowledged that she is too scared to travel in some areas after dark. Although the crime rate has gone down in Britain, criminals are becoming ever younger.

 

Shaun Bailey, social worker (TC 3,52 – 4,24) Victor

“A high degree of violence is commonplace among our youngsters. Who is to blame? Adults above all. Several youths drift into crime because nothing feels safe and secure. That is the fault of parents, of the community, of schools. But there is also individual responsibility.  No one forces them to stab or to shoot. That decision is taken by them, themselves.”

 

Home made videos exalt gang culture. Weapons are regarded as a status symbol and trouble with the police enhances your reputation. The British government is trying to control the problem with tighter legislation. Whoever is caught carrying a knife risks a jail sentence. Handgun ownership has been outlawed for the last ten years. However the latest poll indicated that one in five youths has access to weapons.

 

Peter Squires, criminologist (TC 4,58 – 5,24) Martin

“We are discovering that in London and Manchester, gang members are roping in their girlfriends to carry their hand guns or knives. Young girls are used to smuggle weapons in and out of the area. They often pass unnoticed by the police. They run errands and finish off the dirty work for the gang members.”

 

The flood of cheap replica weapons from Eastern Europe is also a huge problem. Last year hundreds of such weapons were confiscated from the streets. It is estimated that there are more than half a million in circulation in the country. Since the series of murders over the last year, an armed crime task force has been set up by the Home Office. They regularly carry out raids.

 

Jon Murphy, head of SOKO Gun crime (TC 5,46 – 6,09) Victor

“It is too simplistic to tackle just the weapons themselves. We are aware of that and one of our priorities is to bring the actual channels of delivery under control. It is senseless to only try to keep young people away from gang culture. We must also cut off weapon supplies at source, otherwise our success will be limited.”

 

In Hackney, one of the most violent of the London boroughs, the town administration is trying to keep youngsters off the street…with music. Internet radio station Life FM is training youngsters who are interested in radio, as DJs. So far, almost all the participating youngsters have experienced violence in their lives or come from a background of violence.

 

“Shaun”, former gang member (TC 6,34 – 6,54) Patrick

“I was in a gang. I had to drop out. I found myself in a dead end situation. Gang culture infiltrates everywhere and will not stop. There are so many different influences. They just pull you in. It is very seductive.”

 

The workshop is funded through private donations and advertising revenue. Only a small proportion comes from the public purse. Mayor Ken Livingstone has guaranteed more than £1m for youth projects. But that money is taking a long time to filter through.

 

Emmanuel Bribi, musician (TC 7,11 – 7,34) Victor

“As the workshop was opened, it lasted for a while. However the sad reality is that here you have twenty young people inside while outside there are thousands on the streets. The aim is to have a secure place where they can all flourish and develop.”

 

In districts like Hackney, more than half the black lads grow up without a father. They perform poorly in schools and do not really have good prospects on the job market. For many of them the only way to make some money is through pushing drugs and joining a gang.

 

Peter Squires, criminologist (TC7,54 – 8,37) Martin

“They will not earn that much money working in a fast food café or filling shelves. Another thing is this attitude they have, of wanting to have it all now, immediately. They have poor prospects of finding a decent job. They grow up in an outsider community, which has been disadvantaged for generations. They feel that the community has abandoned them and they have nothing to lose. So they recognise that there are certain things they have to do in order to survive.”

 

So far neither an understanding social programme nor the hard hand of the police has been effective. In this year alone, five more young people have been shot or stabbed in London.