The Prime Minister’s words still resonate today. Unless we tackle the causes as well as the consequences of crime, we will not grasp the root of the problem. The answer has to lie in action centred on communities and those at risk.

More police, tougher sentences, younger prisoners - demonising and antagonising young people won’t work. Offering them opportunities that provide an alternative to a life of crime will.
In 2005, more than half of all gun crime (54%) occurred in London, Greater Manchester and the West Midlands. In 2005/06, just fewer than 11,000 firearms offences were recorded by police - virtually the same as the previous year. However, the level remains well above that at the start of the millennium, and have continued to rise, albeit at a much-reduced rate. Homicides involving firearms were 40% down on the 2004/5 figure at 46.
Last week, the Home Secretary announced £500,000 worth of extra money to the Connecting Fund, a Government established body which supports anti-gun schemes by community groups. A glance at previously funded projects reflects the high level of need in London. If this money is to have an impact and reduce firearms offences and fatalities, it must be directed to the areas of most need and groups with the strongest links to those communities.
Acevo’s proposal for a third sector action zone is rooted in the principle of preventing crime – addressing the causes – rather than just the consequences. Our contention is that national organisations, such as Barnado’s, Rainer and the Children’s Society, can offer their expertise to local community groups to help devise tailored solutions, activities and outlets to prevent young people falling into crime. If successful in South London, this model could be rolled in other problem areas, such as Nottingham and Manchester.

The zone would work with the cooperation of three boroughs: Lambeth, Southwark and Wandsworth. A commission comprising members of their local and health authorities, third sector representatives, and community leaders would shape a programme of work, encouraging forums and places where young people can share their fears and frustrations, and hopes for the future.

Funding would need to be for an appropriate timescale: we are arguing for five years’ worth, at £4 million in total. This would need to be guaranteed: too often third sector groups in South London have had promised funds pulled, or terms of reference changed to deny them of any impact. Pecan, operating in Peckham, provides skills and employment training for young adults who have been out of work for a long time. In the words of their Managing Director, Kevin Belcher, funding has been “an absolute nightmare.” Three years ago, 75% of Pecan’s funding came from job Centre Plus contracts – now they have no income from this source.

Community groups such as Pecan are best placed to address the societal problems surrounding gun crime – unemployment, lack of opportunities, skills, diversion. Third sector groups have a strong track record at helping isolated, marginalised and disaffected individuals. Local volunteers are seen as safe, less threatening and more knowledgeable than ‘authority’ figures from councils, social workers, or the police.

Gun crime will not be solved overnight. Glorification of guns and crime in youth culture- black and white, rich and poor- needs to stop. By helping young people to talk about their fears, to dissuade them from carrying and seeking guns, and to turn them on to other activities – only then will we start to see a shift.

Or in the words of Kola Williams, a youth worker from Harlesden: “It’s no good sticking a triangle over a square and expecting a fit. Listen to young people, understand where they’re coming from, and show them some respect. They’ve been talked at for far too long.”

The Economist ran a 14 page special report on innovation last month, which raised some interesting points and really clarified why innovation is so important.

In the old days, companies would all have their own in-house R&D departments with men in white coats, passwords and eyeball scanners. Now, much of this has given way to collaboration and sharing of information. For example IMB has given the code for its new Linux operating system to hundreds of developers around the world in order to get the system on the market as early as possible. This has allowed it to make billions developing products compatible with the new system.

With manufacturing accounting for only a fifth of economic activity in more economically developed countries this is certainly a world where innovation matters.

So what part can we, as the third sector play in this innovation revolution? Well in many ways third sector organisations are uniquely placed. Many organisations are small, operate outside the established old guard and do not have the profit barrier.

These are all clear advantages. For example it is fear of losing out to rivals and hence lost profits that motivates much of the secrecy that still exists in the manufacturing world. And it has long been held that the old, bureaucratic firms that dominate industries such as space exploration have lost their ability to innovate. This has led to the emergence in recent years of a number of smaller, private firms in the industry and earlier this year to the launch of the first entirely private space launch. Large firms did not develop the internet or develop Google, it was always smaller innovators operating on the margins.

As the Third sector professionalises and moves into areas such as service delivery, this is one of the many roles it can play. This is why initiatives such as the innovation exchange are so crucial in allowing the sector to fulfil its innovative potential and to ensure that where ‘fresh thinking creates value’ this value is spread as far as possible.

For example, the report mentions that in 1971, 8 out of 10 children aged 7 or 8 walked to school by themselves. By 1990 this figure was less than 1 in 10. Also, children today spend 4 times as much time being looked after their parents as they did in 1975. The result is that children today have far less unstructured free time and are allowed to take far fewer risks than they did in the past.

Taking risks and overcoming problems plays an important part in the development of children, argues the report and the suppression of this natural desire amongst children to explore, take risks and have more freedom by an overbearing nanny society only stores up problems for later in the child’s life.

Taking risks enables a child’s development by promoting a sense of entrepreneurialism, resilience and self confidence. It also enables the gradual development of personal freedoms, rather than a sudden release from control later in life.

The report raises a number of interesting issues. How relevant do you think such research is in the field of excluded young people? Can we learn lessons from 1975 or is the world of today simply too detached from that era?

The fact that our work will focus both on the supply and demand side of third sector innovation is critical to our success in helping to bring innovations to scale and translating learning to the public sector.

Earlier this year we worked with Futurebuilders to investigate the behaviours of both third sector leaders and commissioners who had made a success of the commissioning environment. There were some remarkable similarities in the attitudes and approaches to commissioning which had proven successful.

From this research we developed a person specification for the intelligent commissioner, and a framework of skills and competencies for third sector leaders which have proven successful.

The intelligent commissioner:
• Develops knowledge and understanding,
• Builds trust through communication,
• Shows commitment to service quality, and
• Promotes innovation.

Skills and compenticies for third sector leaders include demonstrating:
• Strategic perspective,
• Customer Service Orientation,
• Visionary Communication,
• Affinity and Integrity,
• Confidence, courage and resilience,
• Motivating and developing a team, and
• Networking and influencing.

More information about this work is available through the acevo website