Ex-gangsters brought in to quell feuding Derby gangs

FORMER big-city gangsters have been asked to help restore peace between two feuding gun gangs in Derby.

Police have enlisted the help of a team from Birmingham, which includes reformed criminals, who will use their own experiences of gang and gun crime to try to help stem the trouble.

They will be given the names and addresses of Derby gang members so they can visit them to try to resolve the dispute, which has resulted in a number of shooting incidents in the city in recent months.

The team is from West Midlands Mediation and Transformation Services, which is led by former West Midlands police officer Kirk Dawes.

He said: “We seek to manage the conflict to slow it down by creating dialogue and better understanding.

“We're not saying people will love each other at the end of it but we try to get people to realise the futility of extreme violence or even murdering someone. We tell it like it is.”

Detective Superintendent Andy Hough, who heads Derbyshire police's unit set up to deal with gun crime and gang activity in Derby, says he believes there is more chance of the gangs listening to people who have experienced the same kind of lifestyle.

He said: “We want them to realise that for the 60 seconds it takes to draw a gun, pull the trigger and shoot someone, it could cost them their life too. At the end of the day, it's about avoiding conflict and physical harm.”

The scheme is being funded by Derby Community Safety Partnership and Det Supt Hough said officers were already speaking to gang members in the city to encourage them to attend meetings with the team.

Police will then give gang members' details, like addresses, to the team, which will continue to visit them at their homes independently to try to resolve matters.

It is hoped the team will be able to discuss the history and full details of the conflict, such as individual disputes, with those involved.

They will also use their own experiences to talk about the dangers of gang feuds and the impact it can have on gang members' families and friends.

For example, they discuss the possibility of relatives being targeted for revenge attacks.

The team will also enlist the support of community leaders to provide further guidance.

Det Supt Hough, who previously served as a senior officer in Birmingham, said: “If an incident happens, the mediators will cold-call at the home of the person they think is going to try to carry out the retaliation to discuss the issue with them. They will also speak to serving prisoners and we will provide them with the details.

“If we can help anyone involved in the conflict to deal with it peacefully, we will.

“For mediation to work, it needs those from all sides to contribute.”

The shooting incidents began in Derby in late December and police believe the majority are linked to a feud between rival groups from the Allenton and Austin Estate/Sinfin areas of the city.

Security was stepped up at the recent Caribbean Carnival, at Osmaston Park, amid fears that gang members may use the event to continue their row.

Police have also vowed to secure anti-social behaviour orders for some individuals to restrict their movements and who they can associate with.

But unlike in other cities, no-one has yet been killed as a result of gang-related shootings in Derby.

In Birmingham, the feud between the Johnson Crew and Burger Bar Boys gangs has hit the headlines on many occasions – most notably after the deaths of student Charlene Ellis, 18, and Letisha Shakespeare, 17, in Aston in January 2003.

The pair were shot by mistake in a drive-by shooting connected to the feud. Four men were later convicted of the shootings.

West Midlands Mediation Service was set up in 2004 by Mr Dawes, who said it had been successful in resolving disputes and saving lives in Birmingham.

He said: “We're not there to give information to the police, we're there to deal with the argument.”