gangbos

I've not had much interaction with gangs in my lifetime, never knowingly witnessed the suffering that these collectives are reported to cause. However new legislation that has come into force in England and Wales concerns me.

Powers to restrict the movements of people accused of gang membership have come into force in England and Wales.

Police and local councils can seek gang injunctions in the county courts against adults who they believe are involved in gang-related violence and crime.

So if you are accused of gang membership, or your local council thinks you are involved in gang crime, you can have your freedoms curtailed thanks to this Labour conceived legislation. The BBC article goes on to explain that

The exact extent of gang-related crime is not clear in the UK partly because it is difficult to define a gang, when someone is a member, and the role that the groups play in specific incidents.

So how do you define a gang? Many of the definitions I've read describe a gang as "a group of people, through the organization, formation, and establishment of an assemblage, share a common identity" or similar. Sounds similar to a political party to me.

The scope for misuse of this new legislation, as described by James Brokenshire on BBC Breakfast this morning, is enormous. He talked repeatedly linking gangs to violent crime and how this new legislation would be another tool for the police to use against them (whatever the definition of 'a gang' is).

If a crime has been committed then the police should gather evidence, suspects should be tried and found guilty or innocent in court rather than relying on accusations and suspicions to restrict an individual's freedom of movement and apparel.

I thought the Coagulation was going to repeal the illiberal laws from the last 13 years?