ex-offenders to help others reject the revolving door of prison life. He was released early, after five years. “At the end of my sentence I got an opportunity to put my little model into practice,” he says. So what does he think now? Does he believe that, after the riots of last August, and the government’s promise to crack down on gangs, things are getting better? He is careful to offer some praise to the police and says much of their work in hauling in gang members has been good. But overall he is highly critical of a disjointed government approach that believes that, once the leader of a gang is arrested, the problem is solved. He agrees with the findings of a report that says the arrest of gang leaders can even make things worse. He says the effect of removing the leader is often to destabilize the entire gang. He draws a diagram of the hierarchy on a pad. “When you arrest the top guy, people start fighting for position all the way up. Who was the most loyal? Who had the most respect? It is a bit like a family. They are more likely to act out, through violence. It means that the arrest of the gang leaders has been nullified because it has not had a long-term effect. They have not even given the community a respite.” Can it actually make the streets more dangerous? “It can do, because in the vacuum the recruitment and manipulation of young people becomes even