|
|
 |
| |
Murder victim, Martin Dinnegan, 14 |
Parents ‘scared to let sons out on streets’
FRIGHTENED parents stood up at a public meeting in Tollington Park and declared: “We’re scared to let our sons out of the house.”
Almost 200 people packed St Mellitus church last night (Thursday) for the launch for a major new campaign against escalating street crime.
Sitting at the front of the meeting, chaired by MP Jeremy Corbyn, were members of murder victim Martin Dinnegan’s family, including his mother Lorraine and brother James. Martin, 14, was stabbed to death in June in nearby Tollington Way.
Councillors from both parties, the Liberal Democrats and Labour, attended along with senior police officers. Peace campaigner Bruce Kent was in the audience.
James Dinnegan called for stiffer sentences for people who use knives. “I lost a brother,” he said. “I don’t want what happened to my family to happen to anyone else.”
Labour leader Cllr Catherine West echoed the fears of parents when she spoke about her own 12-year-old son. “We want our children to feel safe when they go out. It’s time to reclaim the streets for everyone.”
Lib Dem executive member for young people Cllr Ursula Woolley also a parent said the council will look at all ways of helping to stem street crime. “We want to help parents of troubled teenagers, for example, and clean up the eyesores where gangs tend to gather.”
And from Martin Dinne-gan’s youth club, the Cornwallis Project, came an idea that won immediate approval: a new youth club named after Martin.
Des Riley from the Link Up Project in Seven Sisters Road won applause when he called for more jobs for disaffected youth.
“If they are not working they are hanging about street corners,” he said.
“That’s when there’s often trouble.”
One of the biggest frustrations from the meeting was that too often young people carrying knives had been let off.
Jeremy Corbyn explained that it was an issue that he personally was taking up with the Crown Prosecution Service: “The police arrest a suspect, charge them, and go through all the paperwork only to be told by the CPS that the case isn’t strong enough.
“It’s very frustrating both for the police and the public.”
The meeting heard that a special commission is being established by Labour to examine Islington Council’s services to young people.
Councillors want to take a fresh look at the council’s youth strategies and speak with young people about how best to work alongside them.
Cllr West, explained: “The meeting has been called because something of this stature warrants special attention.
“We hope the commission will get all the relevant players together to discuss how to stop kids carrying knives and guns, whether there should be longer sentences and how to get parents to take more responsibility for their children.
“We have borrowed the idea from Lambeth, which has had some success with a similar commission.”
Proposals for creating a new position of youth mayor will also be discussed at the meeting.
Cllr Ursula Woolley, said she would welcome a commission if something good can come from it.
She added: “We must get children involved and learn from them – and that means talking to youth groups and organisations from across London in areas that have worse problems than our own.
“We must make sure there are more than just bigwigs involved in this commission.”
The motion to form the commission will be discussed at a special council meeting on Tuesday evening at 7.30pm. |
 |
|
| |
| Your Comments: |
| |
| |
| |
|
|
|
