Islington Crime and Safety Summit will focus on how to involve the community in preventing crime

Residents, community groups and young people are invited to Islington’s Crime and Safety Summit to have their say on how the council and police tackle youth violence and knife crime in the borough, and how the community can help to prevent crime.

The summit, hosted by the Safer Neighbourhood Board in partnership with Islington Council and the Metropolitan Police, will be held on Saturday 5 March between 10am-1pm at Islington Assembly Hall.  All are welcome, and lunch and refreshments will be provided.

Residents will hear from Roz Miller, chair of the Safer Neighbourhood Board, Cllr Paul Convery, the council’s executive member for community safety and Catherine Roper, the police Borough Commander.

The special guest speaker is Junior Smart, an ex-gang member and drug dealer who has turned his life around and is the founder of the SOS Gangs Project, run by the St Giles Trust. The project helps transform the lives of 400 troubled young people and ex-offenders a year, including gang members. Founded in 2006 in Southwark, the project has 23 full-time staff and 13 volunteers, almost all ex-offender gang members like Junior.

Other guest speakers will talk about their projects and share ideas for making Islington safer, and everyone who attends will be welcome to share their ideas on how to tackle crime and make Islington safer.

Cllr Paul Convery, Islington Council’s executive member for community safety, said: “Youth violence is a major concern for our community and a top priority for the council and police.

“We’re working closely together to set up a dedicated gangs team, take action and enforcement against offenders and stop more young teenagers being lured into gangs.

“Enforcement is only part of the solution – it’s also hugely important that young people live in a supportive community which offers positive choices for people who might otherwise be tempted into crime.

“This is an issue that affects our whole community and our whole community has a part to play in dealing with it. I look forward to hearing from as many people as possible at the crime summit.”

There will also be an opportunity to elect four community representatives to the Safer Neighbourhood Board, which is responsible for giving local people a greater voice in setting policing priorities and enabling effective consultation between the community, the police and other partners. If you are interested in being elected please get in touch on the link below for an expression of interest form.