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Home Office
Sarah Newton MP
Minister for Vulnerability,
Safeguarding and Countering
Extremism
2 Marsham Street
London SW1P 4DF
www.gov.uk/home-office
Rt Hon Yvette Cooper MP
Chair
Home Affairs Select Committee
House of Commons
London
SW1A 2AA
22nd February 2017
Dear Yvette,
Update on the Government’s response to the Home Affairs Select Committee’s
report on Gangs and Youth Crime (Thirteenth Report of Session 2014-15)
Further to the previous Home Secretary’s letter of 25 March 2015, with which we enclosed
the Government’s response to the Home Affairs Select Committee’s report on Gangs and
Youth Crime published on 27 February 2015, I am writing to update you on the
commitment we made to review the operation of Gang Injunctions.
In the Government’s response, we committed to undertake reviews of the use and efficacy
of Gang Injunctions at 12 months and 24 months after commencement of the most recent
legislative changes to Gang Injunctions in June 2015.
The review at 12 months in 2016 has been undertaken and the key findings have been set
out below.
Key findings
The Home Office sent a survey to 150 practitioners in England and Wales in local
authorities, police forces and Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunal Service (HMCTS). There
were 37 responses.
From April 2014 to March 2016, based on the responses to the survey, we are aware that
at least 134 Gang Injunctions were granted by the courts. In total 152 individuals were
subject to Gang Injunctions (as more than one individual can be the subject of the same
Injunction): 118 were 18 to 25 year olds; 29 were aged 26 years and over; and 5 were 14
to 17 year olds.
Findings from the survey show that practitioners recognise Gang Injunctions as a useful
tool to prevent and manage gang related violence. However, other powers such as
Criminal Behaviour Orders and Civil Injunctions for addressing anti-social behaviour,
introduced by the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014, tended to be
preferred by practitioners as they were perceived as easier to obtain and to enforce than
Gang Injunctions.
We have identified the following actions following the review:
a. Raise awareness of Gang Injunctions, highlighting the preventative element and
clarifying their role in the context of other interventions;
b. Look at what lessons can be learned from why Criminal Behaviour Orders and
Civil Injunctions (for Anti-Social Behaviour) are being used by instead of Gang
Injunctions and identify examples of good practice; and
c. Explore whether we should consider adding social landlords to the list of
applicants who can apply for Gang Injunction, to enable them to take a key role
in addressing gang-related violence and drug dealing in the properties they
manage. Social landlords are already able to apply for Civil Injunctions to
address anti-social behaviour.
We will consider undertaking a further similar review of Gang Injunctions in due course.
Yours sincerely
Sarah Newton MP