Gang violence forces councils to ferry teens in taxis

London: Gang violence in cities has reached such high levels that councils are ferrying teenagers around in taxis — because they are too scared to walk through dangerous areas.

One inner London authority spent nearly £400,000 (Dh2.2 million) of taxpayers' money last year putting youths into cabs because of fears for their safety.

The local council in Hackney, which has one of the highest rates of shootings and stabbings in the country, ran up a total bill of £440,000. Of this, 88 per cent — an average of £1,060 per day — was accounted for by "vulnerable children".

Finn Greig, a former social worker in the borough, said the high bill reflected the large number of children aged between 13 and 19 who were given taxis because they were too scared to walk between the "territories" used by gangs.

"The bill reflects some serious social issues in the borough," Greig said.

"There are two arguments here. One says that youth workers are pandering to kids' fears when they allow them to take taxis. The other is that there is a very real danger for a lot of kids walking between postcode territories."

Hackney has long been a hotbed for gangs such as the notorious London Fields Boys and the Hoxton Boys. In April, 16-year-old Agnes Sina-Inakoju was shot and killed in a takeaway restaurant in Hoxton in what police said was a case of mistaken identity.

A month later, an innocent festival-goer in London Fields was caught in the crossfire of two rival gangs. He suffered life-changing injuries.

Vulnerable

A spokeswoman for Hackney Council said: "Hackney sometimes uses taxis to transport vulnerable children. The council will always encourage the use of public transport where appropriate."

"However, the age and individual family/carer circumstances of a child can often mean that a taxi is the only option.

Enver Solomon, assistant director of policy at children's charity Barnado's, said: "It is really important that children in care are properly supported because that will ultimately save the local authority money in the future."