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Published: 17 September 2010
by JAMIE WELHAM

POLICE are facing mounting questions about whether they are doing enough to tackle youth violence after a weekend of trouble in which a group of police officers were allegedly attacked and a man was stabbed in a mass brawl.

West End Extra en­quiries showed that com­munity leaders thought there had been complacency among senior police and council officials about the growing presence of postcode gangs following the latest incident in a summer marred by gang violence in the north of the borough.

On Friday night around 50 youths clashed in the Harrow Road outside the same takeaway  where electrician Daniel Smith, 22, was murdered in May. 

A 20-year-old man was stabbed and is said to be in a stable con­dition in hospital.

In a separate incident, three police officers defended themselves, one firing a Tazer gun while dealing with an alleged assault during a stop and search on the Mozart Estate. One of the officers is still recovering in hospital after allegedly being struck in the head in the attack in Lancefield Street.

Karen Buck, MP, for Westminster North, said the situation was not being taken seriously enough, and demanded the council rethink cuts to youth services which she said would exacerbate trouble.

Last week, a leaked report revealed City Hall is considering a package of radical measures to get to grips with the problem, including importing a hard-line strategy from the US called Operation Boston Ceasefire.

Ms Buck said: “We’ve had something like five firearms incidents over the summer. 

“We thought we had a death on our hands over the weekend, but thankfully the boy is going to be ok. The thing is we’ve been talking about this for a long time and a lot of people have told me that the situation, even on the Mozart, is the worst its been for 20 years.

“My worry is that we have a reached the high point for provision, and now all the important youth services that can make a difference are going to be cut. There is a lot of good work being done, but it is wholly unacceptable to have incidents like these.”

A senior youth worker on the Mozart estate, who asked to remain anonymous, said: “There is no doubt that cuts will have a negative impact on crime in the area. It seems pretty straightforward. If you want to prevent youth crime, you have to invest in these sorts of services. “

This week opposition councillors stepped in to save an outreach project that works with young men from the axe. Councillors from Church Street and Queen’s Park have put up £9,000 to keep the Working With Men project going until December, by which time it will have sustained long term funding.

Westminster City Council cabinet member for society, families and adult services, Councillor Daniel Astaire, said: “This was no doubt a frightening experience for local people who would have witnessed it, and we are grateful for the police’s swift response.

“Gang-related violence is a pan-London problem, and in Westminster we are still at a preventative stage as our issues, although serious, have not escalated to the levels seen elsewhere.

“While the police do not act through the council as indicated in the statement by the local MP, we most certainly do have a strong working partnership and there are a number of ongoing projects in Westminster where the council works with young people to stop them getting involved in gangs or to help steer these gang members away from crime and make the local community safer. We will continue to monitor the situation closely and work closely with the Metropolitan Police.” 

The police have not taken up an invitation to comment.

Two men from Queen’s Park, aged 30 and 31, have appeared at City of Westminster Magistrates Court charged with affray. 

A 16-year-old female was arrested and subsequently bailed for threatening an officer.

A 20-year-old man from Kilburn, has been charged with attempted GBH and has been remanded in custody. An 18-year-old man from Kensington has also been charged with GBH.