Girls in Gangs: More Common Than You Think Says Youth Councillor

A youth councillor from Greater London today said girls are just as likely to join gangs in the capital over a lack of family units.

Jennifer Pendleton, 48, from Harrow, explained the police and media should treat all gangs as equally problematic regardless of their gender.

‘I find people join gangs because they come from broken homes,’ she told reporters.

‘Young people and children feel lost and left out because they either don’t have a stable family unit or there’s nobody to look after them. This applies to both boys and girls so it’s no surprise when I read about girls forming their own gangs.’

 

Think tank, Strategic Ambitions for London reported there were 183 known gangs in the capital in 2012 but only 58 were said to be active.

The Journal of Youth Studies published figures saying there are 225 operating London gangs as of May 2015.

‘Another thing the police and social workers should be aware of, is that in most all male gangs women are treated as objects of pleasure and not people,’ Pendleton added. 

‘Girls might start their own gangs to keep safe from men who would attack them.

‘When I hear about knife and gun crime I can’t for the life of me understand why people would centre their lives around such things – but if you’re living rough and feel the need to defend yourself then the vulnerable will use any means necessary.’

 

According to the Centre For Social Justice (right) a total of 98 females were arrested on firearm offences in London between 2008 and 2013. Around 20 others were detained by Merseyside police forces.

Although the majority of London gangs remain male dominated, young women have noticed a rise in their peers becoming involved in gang life and related crimes. 

 

You usually expect gangs to be all boys and the girls are just there to make them feel in control – but girls can do things that are just as bad,’ said Maria DeSouza a 19-year-old student from Chingford.

‘I did see someone pull out a gun once and wave it around. I don’t know if it was real or a replica but it was something I’d never thought would happen to me. You hear all these stories on the news about people getting into gangs or being victims of their crimes but you just assume it happens to other people.

‘There were a few girls in my class who were always getting into trouble with teachers but I always thought that was how far they went,’ she added.

‘It goes to show how everyone has to be careful on the streets these days because anyone can be part of something like that.’

According to the book One Blood: Inside Britain’s Gang Culture, published after the 2011 riots, author John Heale defines a gang as being: ‘As a group of 10 or more individuals who have a name and claim an allegiance to a geographical area, but the reality is that it’s a lot more messy.’

BBC News recently reported on a growing epidemic of London gangs blowing up cash machines across the city.

Words and infographics by Demitri Levantis

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