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Policing and Crime Bill

The noble Baroness has again drawn me to my feet. I entirely agree that the exact definition of a gang should be laid out much more clearly in the Bill. We really cannot agree with the Government that the current definition is sufficient. The three specifications in Clause 33(5) do not address the heart of the matter—namely that gangs are criminal or at the very least anti-social. As it is, the current definition could apply to a local darts team, which is clearly ridiculous. Although I agree entirely with what the noble Baroness seeks to achieve, I do not think that even her definition goes far enough. Anti-social behaviour should certainly be included as a criterion of gang behaviour in addition to criminal activity. Indeed, when I looked at this matter again this morning, I was tempted to put down my own manuscript amendment. I resisted that temptation, but I can tell the House that my right honourable friend Iain Duncan Smith’s Centre for Social Justice is working on a definition along these lines. A gang is a relatively durable, predominantly street-based group of young people who, first, see themselves or are seen by others as a discernible group; secondly, engage in a range of criminal activity or anti-social behaviour; thirdly, identify with or lay claim over territory; and, fourthly, have some form of identifying structural feature. I throw that into the ring for what it is worth. It tightens up just a little the definition that the noble Baroness has proposed.