Met alarm at Somali gangs' violence

A leading police spokesman has warned of an increasing gang culture among ethnic minority immigrants.

Abdal Ullah, who focuses on youth crime for the Metropolitan Police Authority, said violence among Somali youths in particular is a growing problem in London. Tower Hamlets, especially in Mile End, has seen much recent fighting between Somali and Bengali youths.

The warning comes two days after the murder of 15-year-old Kayser Osman on the Church End estate in Harlesden. Officers believe he may have been stabbed after an argument about a game of football, making him the third Somali boy to be murdered in London street fights in the past two years.

Mr Ullah said: "These youths come from a violent place where many have seen killings, so if someone here is trying to take advantage, they are capable of fighting back. When you are a teenager, everyone is looking for an identity, and being a member of a gang is just one way. Violence among Somali youths is a growing problem."

Many Afro-Caribbean teenagers are thought to be hostile to Somalis for no other reason than they come from Africa. More money is needed to provide facilities and good schooling for youths, or the problem could deteriorate, said Mr Ullah.

Somali gangs are an emerging force in the East End though they are not as powerful as the Asian gangs which control entire areas and are believed to run the heroin trade.

A community worker who declined to be named said: "Somalis are trying to establish themselves and gain status in their area.

"Many of the children in Somalian families have already suffered many traumatic experiences because of the civil war. Now they are trying to find their feet and are becoming involved in violence."