Gang and youth violence offences in Newham are continuing to drop since the summer riots of 2011 but new figures show much still needs to be done.

Gang and youth violence offending fell across all of the 18 local authorities surveyed, including Newham and Tower Hamlets as part of a comprehensive £10million Home Office campaign targeted at the most at-risk areas for gang culture.

Figures show there were 103 incidents of wounding involving 10 - 19-year-olds in Newham in 2010-11, compared with 46 in 2012-13. In Tower Hamlets the figures were 98 for 2010-11 and 41 for 2012-13, a fall of 57 in both boroughs.

The Home Office campaign included improved information sharing between criminal justice agencies and a better referral system to ensure youths identified as being at risk of homelessness or mental health problems were not sucked into gang culture or offending behaviour.

London Probation Trust set up a specialist unit in April 2013 to address the complexities of gang crime and help tackle the reoffending cycle brought about by gang culture, to maintain momentum in local authority areas which are acknowledged to have a gang problem. The Trust is currently working with around 1350 gang members in London.

Andrew Hillas, Assistant Chief Officer at London Probation Trust said: “We are aware that it is a small minority of gang members who commit the greatest harm. It is critical we work closely in partnership with local community organisations with a specialist track record of successfully helping young people leave gangs, as well as the local police. Our strategic and co-ordinated approach is recognised by the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime as a beacon of good practice and we aim to further extend our activities across London to reduce the impact and levels of gang crime.”