More Than 1,000 Young Black Londoners Removed From Met Gang Matrix

More Than 1,000 Young Black Londoners Removed From Met Gang Matrix.

THE Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has announced today (February 3) that more than 1,000 young Black Londoners have been removed from the Metropolitan Police’s Gang Violence Matrix, which was created in the aftermath of the 2011 riots and is used by the Met to identify those at risk of committing, or being a victim of, gang-related violence in London.

He also confirmed that overall numbers on the database have fallen to the lowest level in seven years.

The Mayor ordered a wide-ranging review of the database in 2017 following concerns around how many young Black men were on it compared with their likelihood of offending or their chances of being a victim.

Communities also had deep reservations about how the Matrix operates, including concerns that young Londoners on the Matrix could face sanctions relating to housing and other public services, and inconsistencies in how data on the gangs list was being used and shared.

Sadiq’s overhaul of the Matrix fulfils a commitment he made to Londoners in his manifesto to carry out the largest and most comprehensive review ever conducted into the Matrix.

Latest figures released today show the Matrix population has also reached its lowest total in seven years – now 2,305 individuals, which is a 40 per cent drop from its peak of 3,811 in August 2017.

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “We simply cannot ignore the fact Black Londoners have less trust in the Met and that is why my comprehensive overhaul of the Gang Violence Matrix is so important to improving the trust and confidence London’s diverse communities have in our police. As a direct result of the Met acting on my recommendations to make the Matrix database more transparent, effective and more evidence based than ever before, more than 1,000 young Black Londoners who should not have been on it have now been removed. At the same time detection rates have improved.

“We know that gang-related violence still accounts for a significant proportion of the most serious violence in London and the Matrix is a necessary enforcement tool as well as a means to support and intervention, but it’s vitally important that the police continue to evaluate, improve and communicate how it is used to address concerns from communities about the disproportionate number of Black Londoners and young men on the Matrix.

“Keeping Londoners safe remains my top priority and while Ministers are refusing to fully refund City Hall and the Met for the money spent tackling the pandemic in London, I am committed to doing everything I can to help tackle crime – including investing £6m in the capital’s first-ever London Gang Exit Programme which is helping hundreds of young people at significant risk of harm from criminal gang activity to turn their lives around.”

Thank you for taking the time to read this news article “More Than 1,000 Young Black Londoners Removed From Met Gang Matrix”. For more UK daily news, Spanish daily news and Global news stories, visit the Euro Weekly News home page.