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Last month in a hard hitting campaign, Operation Trident, the London based community led policing initiative that tackles the disproportionate affect of gun crime on the Black community launched a new crusade targeted at 13 to 19 year olds.

Waking up to the reality that victims and perpetrators of knife and gun violence are getting younger and younger and recognising that a growing minority of our children are operating like disorganised glorified “urban soldiers� without fear or rational was clearly the focus of the campaign.

Facing the challenge head on, the message of the campaign was clear, its all about life and missing out on life and the basic human rights that come with freedom.

Research for this latest campaign was undertaken in prisons directly with young people sentenced to life imprisonment as a result of using a gun, many of whom spoke with frustration about the life that they were now missing out on; their families, friends, relationships etc,. Their reality is one of being locked up in jail with the loss of privacy and rights, living in a box, whilst life goes on outside.

This latest campaign is about providing vulnerable young people with the necessary information so as to enable them to make informed choices and ultimately to dissuade them from becoming the gunmen of the future.

With TV adverts on stations like Channel U and MTV base, a touring outside theatre ‘mock up’ of a prison cell, a number of radio ads and a bill board poster, this latest campaign continues to build on a new approach to policing that is more dynamic and engaging and informed by community partnerships.

Last year’s hard hitting Trident campaign saw thousands of young people clamber to download Roll Deep’s Badman Video produced by Director Jake Nava the man behind Beyonce’s Crazy in Love and Kelis’ Milkshake video. Its message was clear to discourage the 11-16year olds from carrying guns.

Trident’s ability to attract such renowned international artists, music and video directors reflects its growing relevance and credibility within the community despite previous policing failures and charges of institutional racism.

The relationship however is so volatile that the police ought not to take for granted this new found trust and confidence. There is no room for complacency and no room for ‘lip service’ and doing it by themselves and thus whilst preventative activity and campaigns of this nature are required, the police cannot replace the positive role models that we need to see on our doorsteps and in our neighbourhoods and schools that racism has denied.

The police historical role in regulating and controlling the black community in defence of racism acts as a significant barrier to their command of any type of ‘street credibility’ and that is why the campaign’s message needed to be delivered by others in order to maximise its impact.

However, with society increasingly looking to the police for solutions to tackle the scourge of gun and violent crime, the challenge will be the extent to which the police take seriously and treat with respect, the leadership, expertise and level of intelligence and partnerships available from within the community, in order to deliver the true meaning of ‘policing by consent’.

Claudia Webbe
claudia.webbe@gmail.com