The new police chief in charge of Newham has vowed to crackdown on gang crime in the borough and will increase stop-and –search to tackle the issue.
Det Ch Supt Richard Tucker is the head of the Met’s newly formed North East Borough Command Unit, following a merger between Newham and Waltham Forest.
In an interview with the Recorder he also said gangs are more dangerous that paedophiles due to the influence of some of their members.
He said: “Gangs have some very influential people.
“Would you hang around with a dangerous paedophile? No, you wouldn’t. But these boys are more dangerous than them.”
According to the Eastender, who’s spent 32 years working in forces in Camden, Plaistow, and Waltham Forest, it’s a lack of fear which is driving up gang violence in the borough.
“To say, ‘we don’t snitch’ is all well and good,” he said, “but are you then saying it’s alright that young men are getting killed?”
The full interview will be in this week’s Recorder which is out on Wednesday.
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