Statutory guidance amended after changes to legislation on gang injunctions

The Home Office has issued revised statutory guidance to reflect changes to the legislation on gang injunctions.

The legislative changes have widened the scope of gang injunctions to include gang-related drug dealing – previously just gang-related violence was covered.

The statutory definition of a gang has also been amended “to make it less prescriptive and more flexible", the Home Office said, as previously the definition referred to gang colours and geographic areas.

The Home Office added that the definition had been simplified so that a gang “is now defined as having one or more characteristics that enable its members to be identified as a group by others”.

Updates on the changes to the legislation and a guide for practitioners on how to apply for a gang injunction can be viewed here.

Karen Bradley, Minister for Preventing Abuse and Exploitation, said: “Gang and youth violence has a devastating impact on the young people who get caught up in it, as well as their families and communities.

“It is not an issue that any one agency or government department can tackle alone. It requires the police, teachers, social workers, housing officers, youth workers, employment advisers and many others working together, and sharing information in order to safeguard vulnerable young people and target the most violent.”

Bradley added: “Due to the changing nature of the way gangs operate we have updated the definition of a gang to ensure injunctions remain effective. We have also made it easier for courts to grant injunctions to prevent gang-related drug dealing and protect individuals from this kind of activity by expanding the scope of gang injunctions.”