Simon Harding

A reputational extravaganza? The role of the urban street gang in the riots in London

Urban street gangs played a central role in rioting in London using pre-established networks and organisation to precipitate and expedite involvement which was then expanded through social networking to others.

‘Bling with bite’ – the rise of status and weapon dogs

Simon Harding looks into what motivates people to own ‘status’ or ‘weapon’ dogs, and why numbers are increasing

From “Little Flowers of the Motherland” into “Carnivorous Plants”: The Changing Face of Youth Gang Crime in Contemporary China

This chapter considers youth offending and youth justice in contemporary China noting significant changes due to the rapid economic transformation. Once famous for its low crime rates, the apparent rapid rise in Chinese juvenile delinquency has left the media ‘wondering what transformed these little “flowers of the motherland” into “carnivorous plants”. The chapter charts changes from the yanda (hard strikes) crackdown in 1983 to the highly publicised anti-crime crackdown in Chongqing. Despite limited data, a picture is emerging of changing influence of triads and altered relationships between organised crime and street gangs, noting street gangs are increasing due to an influx of rural migrants to the mega-cities. The chapter touches upon the risk factors and emergent arguments of this contemporary phenomenon, noting that Zhang et al (1997:299) has suggested that ‘China is in an early stage of gang development’ possibly equivalent to the USA from 1930s to the 1960s.

The future of regulation in public services

This article describes the new Comprehensive Area Assessment (CAA) and considers how it will impact on crime and disorder reduction partnerships. The new approach will consist of area and organisational assessments focusing on local authorities and their partners and individual bodies, respectively. Implications are considered for the public, partnerships and the Audit Commission and the difficulties that they will face. Potential risks for the criminal justice sector are outlined. The challenge for the Audit Commission will be to make this new approach meaningful, understood and effective.

The Prevent Strategy and National Indicator 35

This article considers the implications of the governments Prevent Strategy and the likely impact of a new national target for tackling extremism, National Indicator 35, for CDRPs. It offers suggestions for how CDRPs might devise a successful action plan to meet this new and ambitious performance target.

In search of a profession

Simon Harding shares his opinions on the development and future of the community safety profession.