to think that publicising a map of gangs in london is going to make us even more paranoid and risk averse parents?

[norflondoner]

The Times published an article yesterday with a map and details of gangs in London. You can now go on google maps and see down to street level where they operate and who's territory you are living on / nearwhere the boundaries are

Being a north londoner this fills me with dread. I know there are gangs around, but the fact that my sons can now go online and see exactly where they operate, watch linked youtube videos of them is a worry. TMI in my opinion.
Do others feel the same ?

My kids are older so we're already aware, in fact I sent my son to live with relatives out of the area because here if you're not part of the gang then you're against them and his life was made a misery, he could barely go out of the house for a couple of years.

There are videos and even dvds of our local gang with guns and all sorts - it's horrible and I'd like to move out of the area but can't because of needing to stay close to my elderly mum

London is a horrible place to live if you are a kid

That's terrible akhems. Once he lived out of the area was the pressure off i.e. was it ok when he came round to visit? I imagine that passing through an area is considered differently than living in it

Tbh if you live in London you know where the gangs are and who "reps their ends" as the stupid kids say round here (I give up sometimes). My paticular area doesn't have a gang but the area dd goes to school has 2, i am not worried because a) They don't tend bother people who are not part of their or another gang and b) she is a girl and thank goodness girl gangs aren't a massive problem round here.

She is very aware of not getting in with the wrong crowd, I have told her that I did as a teenager and she knows the consequences. The majority of kids in London are lovely normal kids the minority just give them a bad name, I wouldn't live anywhere else.

Surely if you're a Londoner you pretty much know this already? Or at least know which areas to avoid?

Or am I so out of touch with my home city?

And Ripeberry, I have to disagree. The museums, parks, art galleries, lunchtime concerts, eateries, theatres, river walks, history, architecture, pagents, carnivals... I can't think of a better place to live if you're a child, save for the schools.

If I could afford independent education for my children and a property which would accomodate my dogs we'd be back home like a shot!

Yes of course as a lifelong londoner I know which areas to avoid and where most of the troublespots are locally. We don't live in a gang territory but there are some very nearby and we tend to avoid them.

However, as a secondary pupil DS1 has to travel across areas and I'm shocked at how extensive the territories are. Yummy mummy areas like Crouch End, that I thought was all boden and bugaboos, has a number of hotspots...

It's the amount of information, so easily available, that concerns me. I hope my dc don't find the site, I think it would make them overly anxious....and thereby attractive to older boys who are "funseeking"

It took a while norflondoner.. now it's ok, they know he's not interested and just say hello to him and leave him alone pretty much if they see him.

I'd hate to be a teenager these days, it's a horrible existence, the girls aren't exempt either.. they're used and abused sexually by the boys and 'punished' if they don't go along with it.

I'm also north London.

Round here (south London) if your not part of the gangs they leave you alone and that goes for girls and boys. I have educated my daughter early in this a lot of the gangs about here have been around since I was young hence some of the Gangs being called the younger (insert stupid gang name here). Obviously I worry about her becoming involved but living round here for 30 years and working in the community also I tend to find stuff out. Someone I hardly know knocked on my door to tell me she ran out in the road in front of a car. (she won't get away with much)

Vallhala, I'm a country girl and at heart and have only been to London once in my life and hated every minute of it.
Too much noise, pollution, pushy people...aarghh!

ripeberry it's not that bad honest if you went to a touristy part then I understand even they fill me with dread most days.

Ripeberry If you've been to London once, how on earth can you say that London is a terrible place to live if you're a kid?!

I think mine, living 5 mins walk from a huge park with an adventure playground, 20 mins cycle from nat hist, v&a, and science museum, 10 minutes walk from a lovely swimming pool, and going to a really happy, outstanding ofsted school would disagree.