Poster power reduces gun crime

A hard-hitting campaign in Brent has led to the level of gun crime falling by 23 per cent, and now the controversial advertising campaign highlighting the initiative has won two prestigious awards.

The success of the Not Another Drop campaign, which launched in January, has delighted officials at Brent council and the Metropolitan Police. During the period April to August last year there were 79 gun crimes. This year during the same six months the total dropped to 61.

Officials believe that graphic posters, allied to a greater use of technology and intelligence work by the police, has created an atmosphere less conducive to gun use.

In designing the PR campaign, council officials used focus groups involving young people most likely to become involved in gun crime, both as victims and perpetrators. They advised that the campaign posters should be as graphic as possible. The initiatives were funded with £500,000 from the Home Office.

The first advert, Young Gifted and Dead, showed a shooting victim lying on the pavement with blood gushing from his mouth.

Cllr Ann John, the council leader, said: "This is the result of a unique collaboration between the council, the community and the police to change the ethos. The community was upset about the way their area was being described. The first poster was controversial, but we always felt comfortable about it because we had spoken to the community and knew we were starting from a solid base."

Cllr John said one of the awards, presented by the industry magazine PR Week, related to socially responsible campaigns, but the other, a special award, pitched the council's in-house designers against private-sector companies with huge budgets. "The judge took the view that you couldn't have a better outcome from a campaign than saving lives. We don't want to be complacent. But the hope is that the people who were behind these terrible attacks have gone from our area forever."

Paul Ratcliffe, project manager for the Harlesden Targeted Policing Initiative, said: "So far the trends are good. Despite being a year into the project, we have managed to keep our profile high."

Brent was chosen because it had more shootings than any other area of London. Two gangs in Harlesden, the Lock City Crew and the Much Love Crew, were linked to violence for control of the crack trade, although other criminals were also fighting for a stake. Some gunmen were fugitives from Jamaica, but most were born in Britain. Last year the body of Affar Tikur, 21, was found in a reservoir. Tikur, who had ignored his mother's pleas that he abandon the crack trade, was killed by six bullets to the back of the head.

In another incident, a car was raked with automatic fire outside a primary school. The wounded occupants managed to drive to a police station, where they crashed through the gates in search of sanctuary.

Gun crime remains a serious problem in the capital. Since 15 January, murders have been referred to the Operation Trident squad, which deals with black-on-black shootings. Since April there have been 104 non-fatal shootings.