Gangs 'significant part' of riots - The Press Association

(UKPA) – 4 hours ago 

Decent people cannot live in areas where gangs rule, Iain Duncan Smith has said.

Blaming gangs for playing a "significant part" in August's riots across England, the Work and Pensions Secretary said tackling Britain's "violent gang culture" was vital, and restoring the economy went "hand in hand with restoring society".

He told the Conservative Party conference in Manchester: "Dealing with Britain's violent gang culture is vital because the simple truth is that that where gangs rule, decent people cannot live."

Mr Duncan Smith said he believed the riots "provided a moment of clarity for us all, a reminder that a strong economy requires a strong social settlement, with stable families ready to play a productive role in their communities".

He likened youngsters joining gangs to child soldiers in the third world who seek companionship and role models, telling delegates: "Many young gang members drift in from dysfunctional broken backgrounds, in search of a place to belong, a perverse kind of family, others through fear of retribution.

"Fighting this through our police forces is crucial, but this isn't a job for officers alone; we must end the false belief that we can arrest our way out of this crisis."

Mr Duncan Smith accused Labour of overseeing the establishment of a British underclass which exploded onto the streets over five nights two months ago. He said the riots were a "wake-up call" which showed "containing" the underclass had failed.

"The scenes of young people ransacking local businesses, displaying stolen goods on the internet, spoke to a damaging culture on the rise in recent years," said the Cabinet minister. Gang members were not the sole perpetrators of the riots but they played a significant part."

Mr Duncan Smith blamed Labour for allowing foreign workers to take British jobs while unemployed Britons languished on welfare handouts.

"They knew too many British people were on benefits living unproductive lives, but their short-term coping strategy was to bring in more and more workers from overseas to fill the gaps."

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