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Crime and Security Bill

I have tried to explain that the gang injunction is about trying to have an intervention that is not a criminal intervention but is intended to support the young person in getting away from the purposes of a gang, which, I remind the House, is a group that""consists of at least 3 people; uses a name, emblem or colour or has any other characteristic…and is associated with a particular area."" If an individual is examined and found to fall into those categories, and if the court determines that they would be best served by having an injunction to remove them from those people, that group or that area, then that is what the gang injunction is about. The injunction will run for a period of time and will have support from the youth offending team, the police and the agencies to ensure that the young person is not involved in those three ways. We must have in place a penalty of sufficient deterrence to ensure, with the help and support of the agencies, that a breach of the injunction does not occur. Our objective is to ensure that we have a situation whereby there is sufficient support to ensure that we complete the task of dealing with gang-related violence, and the threat of it, in a positive way. The hon. Member for Eastleigh would prefer that we did not have that penalty. I can tell him that a breach in itself is not a criminal offence, and it does not lead to a criminal record. I repeat to him, in simple terms, that the gang injunction is meant to remove somebody from a particular problem. It is about ensuring that that individual is given help and support, and it is not a criminal offence. I have spoken on this matter for longer than I anticipated. I hope that the hon. Member for Hornchurch will withdraw his new clause and that the Government amendments will be accepted.