Hackney: Crime in Hackney -- Let's Discuss... Please Leave Your Comments Below

Crime in Hackney | Recent Bloodshed on Hackney's Streets

2010-07-07T10:02:00.002-07:00

Are We as a Community Taking Our Issues with Crime Seriously?

2010-06-18T08:55:00.000-07:00

Hackney, as many long-standing residents of the borough would themselves testify, has long had problems with crime. Robberies, and gun related crime in borough are significantly above the national average...

Here is some footage of the the Million Mothers' Anti-Knife crime march which took place in Hackney. Everyone was welcome to join the march. Noticeably, there are only a handful of people marching for such an important cause. What happened to the rest of community?

CCTV - Ten Minutes of Crime in Hackney

2010-04-16T18:34:00.000-07:00

Click here to watch this video in full screen mode

A Drug Dealer's Account of Life Growing Up on Hackney's De Beauvior Estate

2010-04-10T05:05:00.000-07:00

This former drug dealer sheds light on life dealing drugs in one of London's poorest boroughs. Having grown up in Hackney, on the De Beauvoir Estate, he became drawn into a seductive life of crime. This short film touches on some of the consequences of leading a drug dealer lifestyle

Crime in Hackney: postcode-warfare

2010-04-09T12:34:00.000-07:00

Are There Enough Activities for Hackney's Youth?

2010-04-09T11:48:00.000-07:00

There is a growing concern amongst Hackney's residents that there are a lack of community based activities available to Hackney's youth. A lack of activities often means that Hackney's youth are without a range of constructive things to do. Constructive pass-times play a crucial part in a young person's life. If young people aren't able to direct their energies in a positive way, they can often end up going down the wrong path in life.

If you feel that there are a lack of youth based activites here in Hackney, please leave your thoughts below

Crime in Hackney -- can we as a community do anything about it?

2010-04-07T18:20:00.000-07:00

Contrary to camouflaged reports, there is undoubtedly a serious problem with violent crime here in Hackney. Teenage violence, which is typically the result of tension amongst rival gangs, should be a concern to us all. Just the other day there were reports of two young teenagers, one carrying a gun; the other carrying a knife, chasing a 16 yr old boy down a Stoke Newington street. During the broad daylight chase, the youth carrying the gun opened fire (outside the Minihome Nursery in Allen road N16) at the fleeing youth. The 16 yr old managed to escape the barrage of bullets. But he may have ended up dead, children in the area at the time may have been caught up in the cross fire. Another family may have been mourning the loss of their loved one. Sadly this kind of brutal episode is simply another day in Hackney.

Here's a short account of teenage life in the borough

Gun crime in the borough is up by 25% and still rising; violence against the person is up; robberies in the borough are 8 times the national average, and tension amongst gangs is at a palpable high. My question is this: how long are we as Hackney residents going to wait before we begin to take these instances of vicious violence seriously?

I am all too often confronted by many Hackney residents of whom seem to have a habit of playing down the violence; playing down the shootings and stabbings and the inevitable tit for tat murders. They say things like, "oh... it ain't that bad," "I haven't had any problems," some even say "it's not my business, so it doesn't bother me."

I believe that this kind of blase attitude misses the point. It almost as if we've myopically become immune to these acts of callousness and thereby become content and uninterested in the problems that plague our streets. Hackney is where we all live, where many of our children are growing up. It seems as if many of us only become interested when someone close to us is caught up in the madness. This breakdown in community relationships is simply driving the already despondent youth into further ruin. You'll not be surprised to learn that all of the gangs in Hackney are named after the estates they live in. A point which only serves to strengthen the link between poverty, council estates and gangs.

Worringly, Hackney harbours the largest number of gangs; in fact, Scotland Yard indicated that Hackney had twice the gang problems of any other area in the country. And what are the government doing to tackle the problem?

I think the silence speaks volumes.

I believe we need to discuss the problems with youth violence and crime in the borough generally, as a community. All comments are welcome.

A tribute to all those who've lost their live's to knife and gun crime

2010-04-07T12:45:00.000-07:00

In addition to paying tribute to those who've lost their lives to knife and gun crime, this young artist touches on the alienation many youngsters feel up and down the country. A feeling of alienation perpetuated by a conceivable governmental unwillingness to recognise and take seriously the way many young people feel.

This sense of unwilling recognition is also evident in many communities up and down the country. If we, within our own communities, cannot come together collectively to address the problems with youth alienation - which is undoubtedly a component in most knife and gun crime cases - how can we expect the government to do anything about it?

Another Young Life Lost in Hackney

2010-04-07T09:09:00.000-07:00

Moving tributes paid to those who've had their lives cut short on Hackney's streets

Robert Levy

Jahmal Mason Blair

Etem Celebi

Shaquille Smith

Cem Duzgan

Godwin Lawson

Derelict Housing in Hackney Videos

2010-04-07T07:43:00.000-07:00

Hackney is one of the smallest boroughs in London; it has a disproportionately high number of council estates and has the poorest living environment in the country. These short videos speak for themselves

Special thanks to Yenkahackney, HTownBoi16 and LondonHustla for producing these graphically informative videos

Does Hackney's Derelict Housing Have a Negative Affect on Residents?

2010-04-05T09:45:00.000-07:00

If you've ever been to Hackney, the one thing you'll have noticed is the way things look around here: the surroundings, the shops, the tower blocks, and the seemingly endless number of council estates. I made a short commute to my local shop yesterday and in so doing took some time to absorb the surroundings. I thought to myself, this place is dirty!: shops covered in filth; intimidating tower blocks scattered systematically, even the borough's very own landmarked town hall looked like it could do with a wash. The place is depressing. It's not surprising then that young minds subjected to such environmental corrosion are often young minds whom lose there way in life. I'm not arguing that Hackney's filthy council estates are the catalyst for criminal behaviour, but I certainly believe that one's environment has a significant affect on one's mind.

Here's a quick look at some of Hackney's housing

It's no secret that the vast bulk of gangs that operate in Hackney are named after the housing estates in which they live or have association with. This factor crystallises the correlation, as I alluded to in an earlier post, with poverty, council estates, gangs and organised crime. These types of underpriviledged settings, rooted in urban decay, are the breeding grounds for societal disillusionment.

This song touches on the perspective of a person who lives in a grimey council estate setting

History

Hackney's Knightingale Estate' high-rise blocks, erected in the 60s were eventually demolished in November 2003.

Rush FM 92.3 was an illegal radio station that operated on the top of the Knightingale Estate, in Clapton E5

Are You a Poet Living in Hackney?

2010-04-05T08:54:00.000-07:00

If you write poems and live within the London borough of Hackney, It would be a pleasure to add your work to the site. The aim of the site is to increase awareness about the criminalistic problems Hackney as a whole faces, and poetry provides a wonderful platform for expression. So if you are a poet and would like to share some of your work, based on the website's theme, with the rest of us please feel free to leave some of your work below. Soon, a page dedicated to all the poetry posted here, will be added to the site.

Kindest regards