Special Report: Inside London's Gang War | The Crime Agents

Comments · 230

• CH

  @charliemcconville1638 · 6 days ago

  Look how far we have fallen

  11

• IS

  @Isaac19-t4d · 7 days ago (edited)

  That anonymous guy he spoke to sounds as dumb as you’d expect, no sympathy for him

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• LE

  @LesleySnipes87 · 8 days ago

  He's proud that Brixton is dangerous ffs

  35

• RA

  @Randomcharacters285 · 7 days ago (edited)

  As long as there are people in those violent communities who glamorize violence this sadly will continue. It's not possible to legislate against a culture and and a mind set. Like any problem the issue needs to be tackled at the root. The real solutions come from strong parenting and positive role models within the home as long as that does not exist this spiral of violence will continue.

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• TA

  @Tashargh · 8 days ago

  That poor mother. Thinking of ev1 in that community rn. Must be so scary just leaving your house

  9

• CS

  @CSI-London · 8 days ago

  When you stand behind a police cordon and see a family laying flowers for someone they love, the reality of a murder is very different from the headlines, statistics and social media commentary that follow.<br><br>I attended all of the scenes covered in this piece, and I met Auguste’s family and friends who came to the scene to lay flowers and grieve. They conducted themselves with such dignity during an incredibly heartbreaking time and, from everything I witnessed, displayed no hostility towards the officers at the scene or those who passed by.<br><br>I did, however, witness one incident where a car drove past those gathered and the occupants saw fit to laugh out loud and mock people who were grieving. It was a particularly unpleasant thing to witness at a time when people were dealing with the loss of someone they loved.<br><br>Sadly, gun-related murders can be among the hardest cases to solve. The evidential opportunities can be significantly reduced compared with some knife crime investigations, and there can also be a reluctance within communities to come forward with information.<br><br>Having covered so many of these investigations, I have seen first-hand the diligence of the officers and specialists who attend these scenes and work to establish what happened. The suggestion that they do not care or simply cannot be bothered is, from my experience, a fallacy. Community silence does not help bring those responsible before the courts; if anything, it can help perpetrators evade justice.<br><br>But the consequences of these crimes extend far beyond the police investigation. They are something I have witnessed repeatedly while attending these scenes and speaking to the families and communities affected.<br><br>The number of parents who live with a constant fear that something may happen to their children every time they leave the house is deeply concerning. In some areas and estates, that fear is a reality for a significant proportion of parents and has become part of everyday life.<br><br>I have genuinely lost count of the number of scenes I have attended in certain boroughs where so many of the people I meet know, or are related in some way to, someone who has been killed through knife or gun crime. It shows just how deeply these crimes can affect entire communities.<br><br>The spot highlighted on Coldharbour Lane is a particularly stark example. I have attended at least three murder scenes and a number of non-fatal incidents at that one location alone. When you have stood behind the cordons repeatedly in the same place, you begin to understand just how deeply violence can become embedded in the lives of the people who live and work there.<br><br>As you rightly point out, it is shocking just how many of these scenes I attend. Social media can undoubtedly play a role or be a contributing factor, and the consequences of what happens online can sometimes be felt very clearly when you are standing at the scene of a murder.<br><br>Pastor Lorraine is a personal friend and someone who attends many of the scenes I cover. Having suffered loss herself, she still makes the effort to attend, pray for the victim and offer support to the family and friends who are left grieving.<br><br>And perhaps that is the part of these stories that can so easily be forgotten.<br><br>Behind every police cordon is a family facing the unimaginable. Behind every investigation is a community trying to make sense of another life lost. And long after the evidence has been collected, the police have left and the cameras have moved on, those families and communities are still there, living with the consequences.<br><br>The cordon eventually comes down. The grief doesn’t.

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• KA

  @karlmoore1837 · 7 days ago

  This is one of the few places I have seen this get talked about openly. It ain&apos;t anywhere, not really. We have needed properly funded youth services for years, maybe one of these Mayor&apos;s of London will clock on that and get it sorted before it&apos;s too late.

  4

• EE

  @eeeeeek2514 · 8 days ago

  I’ve been in Brixton 4 times over the last 7 days. Mostly late afternoon into late evening for social reasons - theatre, concert, and two evening meals and had a wonderful time each time. I saw no ‘trouble’ but I did see people who need real interventions and support. It’s definitely not a safe utopia. Homelessness, poverty, mental health issues and substance misuse is rampant. People need help! These issues plus under resourcing from the government and gang crime / violent crime are all linked.

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• SJ

  @sjukbasketball8498 · 8 days ago (edited)

  Makes me mad how they complain about the violence and that it’s a ‘warzone’ yet won’t speak to the police - they’ve created this enclave. Police have a job and the do and that includes the public helping them. The PEEL principals literally say this. You reap what you sow.

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• US

  @user-bh5ic5mq9c · 8 days ago

  The key is education and support. Educating the young mothers and fathers on how to bring up their children, most of these gang members come from broken homes, from young parents who were kids themselves who cannot handle parenting their child because they themselves have had no education or support. You want to stop gang violence, then look to their homes, look to their parents, and every parent who has a child in a gang needs to step up and band together, break the barriers and the madness, and talk to your child! <br>Society can only do so much, parents need to step up.

  2

• TO

  @Topshotta-w1o · 6 days ago

  Respects to the elders for trying to make a change for the yutes... 🙏

  3

• JO

  @johnconaboy9461 · 3 days ago

  And the violence will never stop &quot; We&apos; ill sort that out ourselves&quot; &nbsp;just going around in circles