Town hall bosses have stepped up their war on drug gangs in Pimlico after a teenager was stabbed to death.
Westminster council said there had been an escalation in violence in the area before the murder of Hani Abou El Kheir, 16, who was killed by a mob armed with swords and knives in Lupus Street on January 27.
Nickie Aiken, the council’s cabinet member for community protection, said his death showed the need to tackle drug-related violence — a relatively new phenomenon in Pimlico.
She said Westminster had previously suffered “postcode” gang problems — conflict between groups from different neighbourhoods — in the north of the borough but the south had largely been exempt. “Obviously this has really focused our minds even more and there’s definitely a will now to really push through,” she added.
“We’ve been stepping up our campaign since the autumn, but have intensified the outreach work now even more so. We’re confident we can get to grips with the problem but we can’t do this on our own — we need to get together with the parents and the community.”
Council insiders are concerned that although the suspected leaders of the drug gangs are local, the illegal trade is encouraging rivals from over the river in Lambeth into the area.
Local police fear that a spate of muggings — carried out on busy Pimlico streets in the early evening — are related to the rise in drug gang activity. There is also a troubling trend in young girls being used by gangs to carry their weapons and for sexual favours.
Westminster’s anti-gangs campaign, launched in September 2011, has seen the biggest drop in serious youth violence in London — a 56.7 per cent reduction over the past year.
Under the £1.5 million “Your Choice” strategy, known youth offenders are given the options of help to stay away from criminality, or “swift justice”, which could include eviction or a ban from their estate. The council helps young people leave gangs and get into work, offers mediation between groups in conflict, and supports families.
Ms Aiken said: “I very quickly realised we had a growing gang issue. I was very concerned about people living on our estates living in fear. Why should a mother sit at home waiting for her 15-year-old son to come home safely from youth club? Why should a mother of a toddler have to put up with 15-year-olds outside the window smoking skunk?”
