Working with BME groups
Somalian Community and culture
On 29 February 2012 Jane Gibney attended an event at the Somalian Development Groups premises in Bristol. Representatives from Catch 22 (an organisation working with young people at risk or actually involved in crime), social services and the police were there.
The event centred on raising awareness about Somalian culture but issues that also raised included issues with interpreting services at court which we will follow up!
Somalian community facts
Somalians in Bristol: In the last 10 -12 years the Somalian population in Bristol has risen from approximately 8,000 to an estimated 20 30,000. there are also large Somalian communities in London.
Factors behind growth in Somalian refugees. This increase is related to the droughts and warfares that have riven Somalia over recent years. Most Somalians are fleeing from extremely traumatic events and will have lost many family members. Over a million people are estimated to have died in Somalia in recent years.
Religion: Most Somalians are Muslim.
Somalian clan system: Somalians consider their identity in terms of which clan they are descended from. There are five main clans and over 50 smalller ones. Clan allegiance is vital traditionally though some younger Somalians want to move away from clan traditions and rivalry.
The Somalian naming system, as people may already know, is very different from the Western system. Individuals have three names. Their first or given name (e.g. Dalmar) their fathers name and their grandfathers name. in this way, a lineage can be traced back over many generations. Women do not take their husbands name as this would be deemed disrespectful to her own family ancestry. Children in a marriage will take their fathers name and his fathers name. Men in Somalia traditionally may have up to four wives.
Somalians and crime. There is an increasing growth in young Somalian men becoming involved in violent crime and drugs. This is of particular concern to older generations and to the wider community. It seems that a loss of identity and the breakdown of traditional the Somalian culture of obedience and respect for parents within a very strongly defined set of social rules is contributing to this phenomenon. In Bristol, we have seen violence and rivalry between African Caribbean and Somalian youths up to now but now issues are emerging between Somalians from different, clans or different local postcodes.
Education and employment: While currently unemployment levels amongst Somalians in the Bristol community run high and traditionally many Somalians come from nomadic cultures where they will either have had limited formal education or education in Arabic this may be set to change. More Somalians and particularly young female Somalians are achieving well at school and university.
Gloucester Community Forum. Local crime priorities from a BME perspective in the city centre
On 7 November 2011 members of the community living and working around the Barton Street area of Gloucester met with police and the CPS to review community priorities and concerns. This was the second year in a row that a large community meeting was held which was open to all members of the public and led by the ministers and congregations of the black-led Majority churches.
Jane Gibney opened the event by welcoming everyone and giving an overview of the changes that had taken place in the CPS and the community over the last year. Gary Thompson of Gloucestershire police then led on updates with regard to the summer disturbances and local anti-social behaviour operations. There was fiery feedback about the polices decision to use street graffiti where arrests had been made to show their success rates. Residents and retailer reported that they felt their areas were being visibly marked out as undesirable or dangerous which stigmatised the community. The police recognised their failing in not consulting with communities or partners on this approach and are revising their approach.
Black youth issues and the role of churches, interfaith groups and the Criminal Justice System
Jane Gibney met with church leaders, police and Interfaithsouthwest at their offices in Bristol. The pastors from across the city were from black-led churches. They expressed concerns about the high proportion of young black people in prison, undergoing stop and search and the lack of community policing. Some spoke about their own lack of trust in the criminal justice system as well as the distrust amongst young black (African Caribbean) people in their communities. We touched on gang culture and the difficulty for young people in extricating themselves from gangs, once involved.
A report, published on 26 October 2011 by the Youth Justice Board and the Inspectorate for prisons shows that the proportion of black and other minority ethnic young men in young offender institutions (YOIs) has risen from 23% in 2006 and 33% in 2009/10 to 39% last year. Young black men now account for nearly 40% of the population of youth jails in England and Wales, according to a report by the chief inspector of prisons.
The over-representation of young black men in youth jails comes despite a sharp fall in the number of children and young people in custody that has already led to the closure of five YOIs, including a specialist unit for young women.
Meeting with community members representing black and minority ethnic groups in Gloucester
Jane Gibney, representing the CPS and Chief Inspector Richard Burge from Gloucestershire police met with youth leaders, pastors from local Black churches, a representative from the Trust Centre and others to review recent joint working; the local response to riots and ways to engage with young people locally in an environment of cuts and loss of the provision of services for young people.
Understandably, the main topic on the agenda of a meeting with community members in Gloucester on 30 August at Bearland Police station in Gloucester was the rioting in the city earlier this month.
There was an overwhelmingly positive response from community members with regard to police and CPS response to disturbances.
Carol Francis from GFM, the Gloucester Community Radio station (and also from the local magistrate bench!) said: "it was very helpful to broadcast an interview with Ann Reddrop from the CPS to explain the way prosecutors make decisions using the Code for Crown Prosecutors, particularly at a time when the community was feeling confused and frightened by events. There is still a lack of understanding among ordinary people in the community about exactly how the criminal justice system works. People want to know that its fair. Often too, they would like to see harsher sentences for crimes which negatively impact on the local area but they need to understand not only the Code but the way magistrates must make decisions using sentencing guidelines and knowledge of individual circumstances."
Understanding Forced Marriage and Honour Based Violence Issues in Bristol
Jane Gibney attended Bristol Domestic Abuse Forum on 8 June, where the focus was on Forced Marriages and Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). The Sky Project, a Bristol based voluntary sector group offering education and advice to communities, spoke of their experience of local issues and of the underpinning cultural and family pressures affecting victims. Avon and Somerset police, health, council and other partners were also involved.
A Somalian Women's group representative explained the work they were doing with women and young girls (and others) in the local community to raise awareness of the dangers of FGM and of their rights to live free from this. "We have to be firm and brave to speak out about this said the representative we can be harassed and called names by some people locally, because they think this is a 'taboo' subject or that women should be treated in this way. FGM is cruel and dangerous. It causes huge physical and mental damage and takes away our dignity and freedom."
Police, CPS and partners coming together to build community
On 1 June local communities came together in Gloucester for a fun day of competition, food and music. The emphasis was on community cohesion, led by Gloucestershire Advisory and Support Panel (GASP) ; Gloucester Black Churches; the Gloucester African Caribbean Association and Interfaith South West. It was supported by CPS Gloucester office and Gloucestershire police.
Vicky Cook, Deputy Chief Crown Prosecutor for the South West, was invited to give an opening speech at the event, which was covered by the local press. Afterwards she commented: "it was so good to see diverse communities coming together to enjoy sport, music and food. As one of our senior Gloucestershire police colleagues said, it would have been hard to imagine this being possible just 20 years ago. Relationships between police, CPS and local black and minority ethnic communities have been hugely strengthened over recent years. We want to build on this growth in public trust and confidence to ensure we serve all sectors of the community equally well. We can do this through regular dialogue, and consultation - and through coming together like this!"
Teddy Burton from GASP, said: "It was a great success. "It is the first time we have attempted something like this and I think it went really well. There was a great atmosphere, it was competitive but courteous and wide sections of the community and the CPS were represented.
"We had a great deal of fun and we are very grateful to all those that helped put the day together and supported it in so many ways."
Gloucester Advisory and Support Panel BME (Black and Minority Ethnic) community group
On the evening of 5 May 2011, Jane Gibney met with Gloucestershire Advisory and Support Panel (GASP) a newly formed community group which grew out of a Gloucestershire Black Churches event to which we contributed last Autumn.
GASP is particularly focussed currently on working with young black people who are at risk of becoming involved in gang-related crime. Last November saw a surge in street gang-related incidents in Gloucester, so GASP, the African Caribbean Association, the police, CPS and church and community groups are working together to share information and to work towards preventing the growth of gang culture in the future. We are exploring a range of approaches to engaging young people, including workshops with police, partners and young people on Stop and Search; theatre-based education on gangs and family and individual therapeutic interventions.
GASP is planning the first in a potential series of sports ,fun day and other events in the afternoon and early evening of 1st June for young members of the local community. Police and CPS staff are to be invited. We are waiting for more information about the fun day so that we can hopefully put forward some participants!
GASP wants to liaise closely with the police and the CPS on BME (Black and Minority Ethnic) cultural issues as well as on any local community priorities. They want to keep abreast of the proportion of young black people undergoing stop and search or being charged; they are keen to know more about the ethnic diversity of our staff groups, to consult with us on our equality plans and to help build trust and understanding between BME communities and the criminal justice system. Our work with them will be ongoing.
