London police plan U.S.-style gang summits

By Michael Holden

LONDON (Reuters) - London police will hold U.S-style summits with leaders of the capital's most violent gangs in a bid to end a spate of murders.

Dozens of teenagers have been gunned down or stabbed to death on Britain's streets this year.

Commander Shaun Sawyer, head of London Police's Violent Crime Directorate, said they wanted to call in gang leaders to try to end the killings, with a threat that the gangs would face tough measures if they did not comply.

The plan is based on "Operation Ceasefire", a successful project initiated in Boston to tackle youth homicides.

"For the top end and the most violent offenders we have gone literally around the world to see what works," Sawyer told BBC TV on Friday. "From America we are taking some of the ideas ... this idea of calling in the most violent offenders."

"It's a tactic we want to explore and see if it works in London."

Police say violent crime is down across Britain but barely a week goes by without an attack on another teenager. The latest death occurred in north London on Wednesday when a 17-year-old boy was shot.

The deaths have prompted promises of actions from the government and possibly tougher laws.

Gang crime in London is related to battles over territory and police say gangs often identify themselves by their "postcode" -- the letters and numbers used by the Post Office for different districts.

London police said they would focus the Boston format on five areas in the south of the city which have been badly hit by gang violence.

To be effective, however, police have to be supported by the community and local authorities must try to divert young people away from crime, Sawyer said.

"This is what the community wants -- it is for us to sit down with the most violent offenders and make clear to them the damage they are doing to communities," he said.

(Editing by Golnar Motevalli)