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Gang project cops are up for top award
 
 

GANG attacks on young asylum seekers used to be so common in one of Glasgow's most notorious neighbourhoods a sheriff dubbed them "recreational racism".

But today constables Harry Faulds, right, Helen Cobban and Anthony Gallagher were nominated for a national award after turning Red Road and other tough city areas into places where young offenders and immigrants play sports together in peace.

The trio from the Strathclyde Police Asylum liaison unit have been put forward for the Jane's Police Review Gala Diversity in Action award, which will be decided later this week.

PC Faulds said: "It started off as an integration project for young asylum seekers in Red Road in 2004. But we quickly realised that the gang fighters in these areas which we were trying to reclaim were coming along to join in."

Since its inception Operation Reclaim has been extended to seven key city communities, where more than 1600 young people have taken part in more than 840 activity sessions since July 2007.

Publication date 11/11/08

Posted by: bluey, glasgow on 11:31am Tue 11 Nov 08
Looking forward to a similar initiative in Govanhill to reduce the social and racial tensions there...
Posted by: thistlemad, Ayrshire on 1:33pm Tue 11 Nov 08
bluey wrote:
Looking forward to a similar initiative in Govanhill to reduce the social and racial tensions there...
Told you all before ........... all thats needed is one low yeild nuke ...... clean the place RIGHT up that will.
Posted by: atrocityexhibition, Glasgow on 2:04pm Tue 11 Nov 08
thistlemad what a bam you are or are you a backward NED (judging by your spelling) who can't accept difference? A nuke would turn us all into targets and why should we all have to suffer because of your perverse blood **** for human suffering?
Posted by: thistlemad, Ayrshire on 3:27pm Tue 11 Nov 08
atrocityexhibition wrote:
thistlemad what a bam you are or are you a backward NED (judging by your spelling) who can't accept difference? A nuke would turn us all into targets and why should we all have to suffer because of your perverse blood **** for human suffering?
What a knob end.
One simple slip of the keyboard and you are all over me for a simple spelling mistake.
Do you honestly think all these immigrants would allow us to survive if they had the option????????
I made a flipant remark, yet you take it to heart. I suggest a humour transplant.
You are no doubt one of those who are quite happy that Scotland has become the worlds dumping ground.
Human suffering????? What about all the poor "humans" of Govanhell who work all day and are worried about going out at night?
What about the maps showing where it is safe to go for a stroll in the area without being attacked by the gangs of Roma and the junkies?
Get a life please, but FFS come back to Earth, and preferably Glasgow in the 21st Century at least!!!!!!!
Posted by: bluey, glasgow on 4:30pm Tue 11 Nov 08
Right, so we agreed then - Govanhill needs this sporting initiative introduced into the community rather than nuclear war.

This article indicate this scheme is in 7 areas so shouldn't be too hard to extend it to the southside.

My understanding of Govanhill is that it has witnessed pitched street battles between different ethnic/social groups and this kind of scheme is very good at reducing crime by giving the gang members something positive to do with their time.

After all, there's supposed to be some kind of huge initiative on to improve Govanhill so hopefully the council has got this type of activity planned?
Posted by: killie bremner, glasgow on 4:34pm Tue 11 Nov 08
Roma gypsy gangs are making many lives hell in Govanhill. In a bid to reduce crime, many of these people were persuaded to leave Slovakia, the government there giving them the equivalent of £500 to move abroad. That was money well spent.

I'd dig deep into my own pocket to get rid of some of my neighbours. Everybody else who has come in recent years to Glasgow has attempted to fit in. Not them.
Posted by: wild wadi, kirkie on 8:32pm Tue 11 Nov 08
Rival gangs from different ethnic groups fighting it out on the streets....and nobody accuses THEM of racism??????????
Posted by: bluey, glasgow on 8:48pm Tue 11 Nov 08
wild wadi wrote:
Rival gangs from different ethnic groups fighting it out on the streets....and nobody accuses THEM of racism??????????
White Scots versus eastern european for the street battle, according to the first two articles, plus general tensions between white, roma and asians

http://www.billybrig
gs.co.uk/pursued-by-
prejudice.html
http://paihnews.word
press.com/2007/03/16
/
http://news.scotsman
.com/latestnews/Race
-tensions-growing-in
-.3999602.jp

This area has got the highest crime rate in Glasgow outside of the city centre so seems ripe for a bit of community sports.

Don't know why it wasn't in the first wave of Operation Reclaim, perhaps because its problems across the whole social spectrum rather than asylum/gang orientated so didn't fit in with the criteria.
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