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11/07/2008: "Endemic gang violence in UK "safest city" is finally officially acknowledged"

But in the aftermath of his murder, Sheffield ignored these hard realities and, by doing so, lost the chance to clamp down on gang violence. Instead, the police, churches and council slapped a glossy pretence on the teenager's death. Whether for political reasons or out of deference to his mother's grief, Matondo was presented as a church-going boy, whose family had brought him to England from what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo when he was 6 and who wanted to become a priest.

At the murder scene, a senior police officer told reporters there was no gang culture in the city. "We have heard rumours regarding gangs operating in the area," he said. "However, gangs are not prevalent in Sheffield." Privately, South Yorkshire Police officers admit that the statement lost them credibility. If people had been frightened to speak to the police before, they just laughed now. The police, it seemed, could not see what was going on, so why should people risk their lives to help them? Burngreave and Pitsmoor are on a steep rise north of the centre of Sheffield. At the bottom of the hill, the city's political bosses seemed content for the problem to remain at a distance and, despite the best efforts of the local newspaper, almost unspoken.

Sheffield promotes itself as "the safest city" in England and does not want that image tarnished. Both its universities use the catchline in their efforts to attract the sons and daughters of respectable families. Strenuous efforts have been made to attract new investors and businesses to the city - including firms such as Boeing and Rolls-Royce.

[ It's always a bit surprising when a mainstream "quality" paper agrees there are problems like this. It must have reached a level where it could no longer be brushed under the carpet. ]

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/crime/article5100336.ece