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Warfare on our streets
Jan 2 2003
By Staff Reporter, Evening Mail
Boys barely into their teens are carrying an array of deadly guns after being inspired by a spate of ferocious gun battles on the streets of Birmingham.
Several day-time shootouts have rocked the city in recent months as rival gangs battle for domination of the booming trade in crack cocaine and other hard drugs.
Other gun battles, however, have even been the result of petty arguments and accusations of 'dissing' (disrespectfulness).
During one weekend last month two men were shot dead and a third wounded in three separate shootings.
But police chiefs and criminologists have warned that lads as young as 11 and 12 are now being sucked into a 'Gangsta' lifestyle glamorised by rap music and Hollywood films.
Experts say the explosion of guns on our streets is also due to British 'crews' arming themselves to emulate ruthless 'Yardie' gangsters from Jamaica who now have widespread operations in Birmingham and other UK cities.
The Yardies used their guns to muscle in on the drugs trade more than a decade ago. They came to be stereotyped as driving top-of-the range BMWs, flaunting gold jewel-lery and favouring the terrifying Mach 10 submachine gun, capable of firing 1,200 rounds a minute.
But their presence has led to a new breed of armed British gangsters hooked on the same guns-and-gold lifestyle.
And the Birmingham-born gangsters, dubbed "home-boys" by the police, are increasingly prepared to use their weapons with deadly force as seen in the recent shootouts.
Police launched Operation Ventara last year to combat black-on-black shootings and 'Yardie' crime as well as wider drug dealing, gangland 'turf wars' and other armed criminals.
Detective Inspector Chris Pretty who heads the operation said: "There has certainly been some copycat influence of the Yardies' socalled guns and gold culture.
"What we've seen more recently is that guns have become a fashion accessory for some of the homeboys.
"We are aware of 14-year-olds with guns. It means there are firearms in the hands of very inexperienced criminals.
"They are becoming more ruthless - you have to be ruthless to fire a gun at someone. It is not just a Yardie thing any more.
"The Homeboy gangs originally lived off the scraps of the Yardie drug dealing but have now grown up.
"They've had ten years experience of the culture during which time they have developed an association with firearms and probably successfully walked away from Birmingham Crown Court. They have now established and organised themselves.
"The Homeboys and Yardies don't get on with each other, there are very strong feelings between to the two sides.
"But they do not tend to clash because there is enough space and demand in the drugs market for both of them."
Professor David Wilson, a criminologist at the University of Central England in Perry Barr, said a life of guns and drugs was now an attractive 'career' for many youngsters with little prospects in conventional society.
He said they were out to make as much money as possible in as short a time as possible.
"A gun in their hand gives them a feeling, no matter how fleeting, of power and status," Professor Wilson said.
Community leaders within the city's black neighbourhoods are now becoming increasingly concerned about innocent people being caught and killed in the crossfire if the street gun battles continue.
But the huge amounts of money that can be made from drug dealing continues to fuel the crisis. The lucrative crack market has already produced several teenage millionaires. One recent police operation in London ended with the arrest of a 23-year-old who was found to have assets of more than £2 million, including a West End penthouse flat, a Porsche Boxster, three other sports cars and 26 Rolex watches.
But it is the street soldiers selling drugs for the "Mr Bigs" who are usually the ones involved in the shoot outs.
The risks of such a lifestyle means the average age of death for a gangster is just 35.
Yet there are plenty waiting in the wings to replace them.
According to gang expert Steve Shropshire, children as young as nine are joining violent street gangs and taking part in crimes such as drug dealing, street robbery and even murder.
Mr Shropshire, the co-author of a new report into the phenomenon, said the number of gang members aged under 16 had doubled in the past year.
He said nearly half of all gang murders committed with guns now involved victims under the age of 18 and Birmingham, London and Manchester had the worst problems.
"The gang culture is now tightly linked with gun violence," he added. "Young people are being drawn into the gangs and crews in ever increasing numbers. They are getting younger by the day.
"Many are becoming involved as young as nine or ten. Fifteen and 16-year-olds have been shot and some killed.
"A lot of the older gang members now have kids of their own and they are growing up in homes where the gang lifestyle, including the possession of guns, is normal, even revered."
Mr Shropshire said the youngsters were also heavily influenced by music and films.
© owned by or licensed to Trinity Mirror Plc 2003
