14 street gangs wreaking ‘horrendous’ havoc in West Yorkshire

For Mark Reynolds, the stakes couldn’t be higher when faced with the grim and dangerous reality of young people’s lives.

Avoiding the clutches of street gangs can mean the difference between life and death or the prospect of a life behind bars. He is desperate to steer young people away from a life of crime, violence and squalor.

Mark, a former boxer who now devotes time to educating and mentoring young people in Huddersfield, says the sad reality is that some young people now carry knives as a matter of routine, while others have fallen into the trap of thinking gang life is ” glamorous’.

Read more Two Sheffield men have laid charges after residents made gunpoint threats in the seaside town

Mark spoke after West Yorkshire Police revealed the existence of 14 “urban street gangs” known to the Force. West Yorkshire Police use the Home Office definition of a gang as a group of young people who can “claim a territory”, engage in crime and violence and are in conflict with other gangs.

The force said: “There are 14 urban street gangs known to West Yorkshire Police,” in response to a Freedom of Information Act request earlier this year.

Mark, who runs RABC Boxing Club in Milnsbridge, Huddersfield, said he was not surprised to hear there were 14 street gangs but said it was still “horrific” and “shocking” considering the damage they had -they did to their lives. young people.

“Part of my role is to try to divert young people away from the attraction these gangs have – it’s appalling,” he said.

He said naive young people were attracted to what they saw as a “lifestyle” that appeared to be “glamorous” thanks to music videos on platforms such as YouTube. Huddersfield rapper Booter Bee has previously been accused of “making gang culture” in his music videos.

Mark has worked with vulnerable young people in Huddersfield as well as in places such as Cleckheaton and Dewsbury. Mark says older teenagers have been “grooming” younger children into the criminal lifestyle in Huddersfield and other parts of West Yorkshire.

It can be a “slow and small” process that could start with selling vapes before moving on to other things. He says the high school students targeted elementary school students.

“I don’t have any magic answer to tell you everything about it and what you don’t already know,” he adds. “It’s terrible”.

Mark says young people are often naive and lack “life lessons” which he helps set straight with some brutal home truths. He has met young people whose lives have been cut short by knife crime.

He says: “Young people need life lessons to realize how and why this causes misery. With the lifestyle comes the gangster element of knife crime.”

Mark says young people across the country are falling into a trap, a “way of life” that can end in prison or death.

Get all the latest and breaking West Yorkshire court news straight to your inbox Sign up for our newsletter here.

“I work in West Yorkshire and it’s the same – the way they talk, the way they walk and they all dress the same. It’s a way of life. The magic word is “respect” – it’s gone and getting worse. worse.”

Mark says children and young people are ignoring warnings from parents and teachers – but he is listening to a grizzled veteran boxer.

“When they’re with me, they’re as good as gold and they don’t sit on street corners and ruin people’s lives,” he says. “I know people who have been stabbed and killed. I lead a knife crime initiative and I’m very proud of that.”

Mark says the gang members are smart at what they do. They project an air of power and money to lure the innocent and the unwary, who are then used to do their dirty work. His experience as a boxer helps Mark explain how and why the gangster life is on the wrong track.

“Young people won’t listen to their teacher or mum and dad and (some) don’t respect the police. I get their attention – a big ugly ex-boxer. I tell them some truths and some real stories that shock. their.”

Mark was recently told a story about a house party in Huddersfield which shows the prevalence of guns on the streets. A few weeks ago, the police were called to a house party involving some teenagers. During the cleanup, three machetes were found behind the couch.

Yorkshire Live approached West Yorkshire Police to comment on what measures are being taken to tackle street gangs. The force has taken hundreds of guns off the streets and jailed many gang members over the years for crimes including murder and gun possession.

Get all the latest and breaking West Yorkshire court news straight to your inbox Sign up for our newsletter here.