Press Release: Why it's time to close Operation Trident

17/2/2012 6.00am

Black Leaders condemn the launch of Trident “ anti gang unit” as a political stunt by London Mayor Boris Johnson.


Three former high profile members of the Metropolitan Police Service

Operation Trident Independent Advisory Group have called on the existing

Group members to resign in protest at they describe as “the political hijacking

of Metropolitan Police Operational Command Unity Trident” by the Mayor

Boris Johnson.

Founded in 1999 Trident IAG is made up of members of London’s black

community and was established to exclusively tackle gun violence in black

communities. The IAG is the preeminent community police black consultative

forum in the capita and has been instrumental in helping to build community

trust and confidence in the Metropolitan Police Service.

Lee Jasper founder member and former Chair of Trident IAG, Stafford Scott

Of Tottenham Broadwater Defence Campaign, set up in the wake of the

August 2012 disturbances and Viv Ahmun, former member of Boris Johnsons

Mayors Expert Advisory Group on youth violence, condemned the widening of

Tridents brief to tackle “ gang crime”.

Lee Jasper and former Policing Director for London and current Chair of the

London Race and Criminal Justice Consortium said:

“Boris Johnson has hijacked Operation Trident in naked political attempt to

co-opt London’s black community into his enforcement led war on gangs.

And yet under his leadership we have witnessed the worst deterioration of

police and black community relations seen in decades with massive increase

in stop and search and deaths in police custodies resulting in anger that

exploded onto the streets of London last summer.’

He added,

“ Central to the partnership ethos of Trident is the principle of policing by

consent. That principle is sacrosanct to maintaining community confidence

and support. The fact is that confidence and trust has been seriously eroded

by malign neglect of the Mayors Office and increasing levels of institutional

racism within the MPS. No one in London’s black community was properly

consulted about this changes and that includes the Trident IAG.

Trident and the MPS no longer enjoy that trust and confidence. This reality

can no longer be ignored.

Recently the Commissioner quite rightly stated that the MPS cannot deal with

this problem alone and highlighted the need for effective gang intervention

and diversion programmes. Not only does the Mayor have no real prevention

strategy, he has supported local authority public spending cuts that have led

to the sacking of thousands of youth workers and closing down of hundreds of

frontline youth projects. “

Youth violence is on the rise and the abysmal record of this mayor on an

issue, that was his supposed top political priority, has become a real issue.

Simply absorbing Trident into an all encompassing “ gang unit” constitutes a

real disaster for London. In this context the IAG cannot allow itself to be seen

to tacitly endorse a return to the discredited, aggressive and discriminatory

policing strategies of the past. It’s time the Mayor and MPS were forced to

take these matters seriously and I am calling on all members of the Trident

IAG to resign.”

Viv Ahmun commented:

“ Dealing with black youth violence and tackling gang culture in London has to

be done in genuine partnership with black communities and have a real focus

on prevention as well as enforcement.

This Mayor has taken three years to deliver a mentor scheme for a black boy

that has to date matched only 62 mentors. Ray Lewis, the Mayors lead on

Mentoring recently stated he was “disappointed” with the progress of the

scheme. That’s an understatement the black community is profoundly

disappointed.

At the same time I see local councils slashing funding to community

organisations at a grass roots level. These organisations working alongside

the police are the lifeblood of any effective police community partnership.

Boris Johnson has failed to balance his police led enforcement approach with

a multi agency intervention strategy that focuses on harm reduction,

prevention, diversion and rehabilitation.

This against a backdrop of rising tensions between black young people and

the police as a result of issues such as deaths in custody leads me to

conclude that its time for the IAG to stand down and resign forcing the Mayor

and the MPS to consult seriously or not at all. ’

Stafford Scott commented:

‘ Relations between black youth and the police are bad now and are about to

get a whole lot worse. The reality is you can’t police your way out of a ‘ gang

problem’. Deaths in police custody have enflamed police community tension. I

see this move as nothing more than a cynical election ploy by Boris.

 His anti gang policy is all about splintering doors and media opportunities.

We can’t allow Boris to assimilate the Trident IAG into giving a green light to

his heavy handed indiscriminate policy of mass arrests in the run up to the

Queens Jubilee and the Olympics.

 The Trident IAG have been ignored and marginalized and should resign. They

should all reconsider their positions and refuse to go along with this ill thought

out strategy that will intensify the mass criminalization of black youth in

London."

For more information contact:

Lee Jasper 07984 181797

Viv Ahmun 07985 395166

Stafford Scott 07830 133076
(All three are available for press interviews)

Operation Hope & Recovery - Stand Up & Be Counted: 16th September

STAND UP & BE COUNTED!
SEPT 16TH – 6.30PM @ EMMANUEL CHRISTIAN CENTRE, MARSHAM STREET, LONDON W1

YOUR COMMUNITY NEEDS YOU! A MASSIVE RECRUITMENT DRIVE FOR VOLUNTEERS TO BRING HOPE AND RECOVERY TO REGIONS IMPACTED BY THE CIVIL DISTURBANCES OF LAST MONTH!

The launch of Britain’s largest political empowerment programme.

A unique coalition of community and faith based organisations have come together to launch a social justice initiative that intends to deliver political and economic empowerment programmes in the areas most affected by the recent riots. Our aim is to encourage, support and promote a coming together of people and organisations committed to tackling growing level of alienation, democratic disengagement and unemployment.

Operation Hope and Recovery is a loose coalition of organisations such as Black Men In the Community, SACRYD*, East London Citizens, Operation Black Vote among others that seeks work in partnership with individuals and organisations in the co-ordination and delivery of a dynamic political and business community empowerment programme.
Recognising the good work already being undertaken in communities that is often undervalued and overlooked Operation Hope and Recovery will offer to help profile and bring attention and capacity build the work of existing organisations and individual who are currently delivering  or are interested in delivering political empowerment and business development programmes.
Operation Hope and Recovery will seek to work in partnership with a broad range of faith groups, businesses and community organisation who are actively engaged in responding to the many challenges faced by many living or working in the inner deprived communities.
The focus in responding to the recent disturbances will be on three core themes.
In response to the deep sense of growing alienation felt by some communities Operation Hope & Recovery will  seek to secure the commitment of local communities to work in partnership and embark on the largest voter registration drive every undertaken.
In support of this drive the campaign will provide specialist personal training on how local democracy works and how to effectively campaign for change. This political and business empowerment programme will be delivered in partnership to thousands of individuals and organisations in an effort to raise the level of awareness in communities about how to influence decisions and bring about change.
The third element of the programme focuses on the central importance of creating economic opportunities for communities suffering long term unemployment is critical in building peaceful sustainable communities. This forms a central part of our programme addressing the need for employment and business growth within communities. We will help provide in partnership with others, training that will explore the multiplicity of options available for creating new business start ups.
Finally we will seek support for a demand for an independent UN led inquiry onto the disturbances with a particular focus on suspicious death in custody. There is a keen sense of injustice felt by the victim’s families and central to any notion of inclusive British citizenship is the equal dispensation of justice. Am UN inquiry would bring a global spotlight onto an issue that has been ignored for too long .
The campaign was launched on Friday 19^th August at Friends Meeting House in Euston, London.

For further details: 
 http://www.operationhopeandrecovery.com/