Former gang members are being asked to volunteer for a pioneering project in Croydon to tackle youth crime.

Croydon’s Pathways project, a Home Office initiative being piloted in the borough, has been set up to prevent gang or group-related violence.

Pathways is seeking people whose lives have been affected by gang violence. This could mean losing a loved one or seeing them hurt in gang violence, or having been a victim or gang member themselves.

Councillor Gavin Barwell, cabinet member for safety and cohesion, said: “Pathways is about taking early action to get people out of gangs and steer them towards a different path. Too often agencies are afraid of talking about initiatives to tackle gang crime, because they are worried they will be associated with it.”

The first stage of the project is to identify an individual involved in, or at risk of, becoming involved in gang or group-related violence. The Pathways team then visit them with an individual from the community, a community voice, whose life has been affected by gang violence.

The second stage of the project, called Help If You Want It, involves the Pathways team working with those involved in gang-related offending to devise realistic strategies to help them turn their lives around.

Police borough commander, Adrian Roberts, said: “This is about us working with the community and with the council, and giving gang members an opportunity and the support to walk away, before someone gets hurt.”

Contact the Pathways team on 020 8404 5839.