Parents urged to play a part in fight against violent crime
By Marijke Peters POLICE have promised to crackdown on violent crime after a spate of shootings and stabbings in Haringey. Greater emphasis will be placed on creating community partnerships and more facilities will be provided for young people to encourag
By Marijke Peters
POLICE have promised to crackdown on violent crime after a spate of shootings and stabbings in Haringey.
Greater emphasis will be placed on creating community partnerships and more facilities will be provided for young people to encourage them not to carry knives.
Borough Commander Chief Inspector Simon O'Brien asked parents to be vigilant to help ensure a trouble-free summer.
The plea at a special briefing last week follows the murder of 17-year-old Annaka Pinto who was shot at a pub in Tottenham on June 23.
Chief Inspector O'Brien said: "Any such tragedy is one too many. There's been a long run in this borough where we've had success against violence, with a downward trend in reported crime, but you can't be complacent.
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"Working in partnership with colleagues we can take this challenge forward."
As well as the fatal shooting of Ms Pinto there have been a number of knife crimes in Haringey during the past month and police have confirmed there are at least four teenage gangs operating in the borough.
On June 14 a teenager was stabbed three times on the Lightfoot estate in Hornsey and on June 30 Elida Duba, 38, was found stabbed to death in her Tottenham home.
Various initiatives will be laun-ched to keep youngsters occupied during the long school holidays, including the Off the Street Less Heat activity programme which will be launched on Hornsey's troubled Campsbourne estate on July 31.
Police have also set up a boxing club in several secondary schools.
Although gun crime has gone down by 22 per cent in the past year, officers will continue to focus on young people carrying weapons in a bid to make the borough safer.
Tottenham MP David Lammy said: "I'm very clear we must do all we can in Haringey and never go back to the experience we had three to four years ago where we were suddenly shocked and surprised with the scale of gun crime in the borough.
"It's very important to be vigilant and I stand with the police on this issue.
"We cannot have a summer in which parents, grandparents, older brothers and sisters and neighbours suspect someone is carrying a gun and is not reporting it to police."
broadway@hamhigh.co.uk
