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Islington Tribune - by PETER GRUNER
Published: 5 October 2007

Martin Dinnegan

A plea from Martin Dinnegan’s dad

Father of murder victim speaks out and asks politicians to unite to stop gang crime

THE father of 14-year-old stabbing victim Martin Dinnegan this week urged Islington councillors to put aside their political differences and get on with the job of tackling the causes of youth crime.
Stonemason Mr James Dinnegan spoke out on Tuesday night following an hour long debate at the Town Hall over the setting up of a new organisation to investigate the rise of gang culture.
Opposition Labour called for the establishment of an independent Commission into street crime at the full council meeting, but the ruling Lib Dems argued in favour of the issue being tackled by the council’s own Scrutiny committee.
In the end Scrutiny won the day with a casting vote by the Mayor and a promise by the Lib Dems that representatives from outside the council will have the opportunity to air their views at committee hearings.
Mr Dinnegan – who has had a letter of support from Prime Minister Gordon Brown since his son was killed, last month – spoke briefly during the debate for tougher sentences for people carrying knives on the streets.
He said later it was the first time he had attended a council meeting and he was a little confused by the proceedings.
He added: “I do hope they will be able to get together instead of having all these arguments. I’d like to see them agree so that we can get on with the object of stopping these gangs from fighting each other.”
Also speaking at the meeting was Detective Supt David Miveld who revealed that there were an estimated 30 gangs in the borough of varying degrees of criminality.
He said that his message to parents who think their children are hanging out with gangs is: speak to your child, and make sure you know where they are going and who they are with. If they need support there are council or community police officers available. “My message to youngsters caught up in gang culture is quite simply get out while you can. The alternative is being seriously injured or killed in violence or being imprisoned.”
Labour’s Cllr Lisa Spall, who lives on the troubled Andover estate, proposed the Commission into youth crime. “We must have the humility to say that we don’t have all the answers,” she said. “But at the same time we can’t just sit and do nothing. We must engage with youth and their parents.”
Lib Dem Canonbury ward Cllr Paula Bedford, a mother of five, said: “I live on a council estate and brought my kids up to behave themselves.

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