Gang culture: ‘Is the metal detector in Croydon MacDonald’s beneficial for diminishing youth crime?'
Gang culture is stereotypically among the young Afro-Caribbean society. The young people of today are often demonised and seen as obstreperous, the most recent example is the installation of metal detectors in Croydon MacDonald's. Even though there has been a rise in crime, will the detectors really make a difference?
With the installation, some members of public would view the building as a safe haven to those who are in need as there is less of a risk of a perpetrator entering the shop with a harmful weapon. The metal detectors act as defence mechanism to protect local civilians; thus reducing the risk of a violent or a life threatening or changing event. In addition, it could be argued that the placement of the metal detectors in the restaurant has helped to remove the stigma that engulfs the borough of Croydon and its unruly youths. This is because other people will view the actions that the council are taking to make the high crime rate plummet.
On the other hand, most people would view the introduction of the metal detectors as a barrier between residents and the youth. The detectors could be seen to cause more tension as the youth feel as if they're being portrayed as a menace to society; therefore creating a bigger problem which will lead to more crime. Moreover, the metal detectors in Croydon MacDonald's are not beneficial for diminishing youth crime as there are other entrances so the youths, who they're targeting can easily slip into the fast food shop without a trace.
As a witness to the metal detectors being in action, I realised that the detectors are successful in reducing the loitering crowd which permits the staff of MacDonald's to work more efficiently. However in reality, the metal detectors are not beneficial in diminishing youth crime as the young people of Croydon are most likely going to view the installation as an attack on their generation; this will evidently result in more crime since the youth will feel tense and want to retaliate. It is evident that Croydon Council have heard the complaints of the local residents and have seen the crime rate increase dramatically and they want to find a way to stop and decrease the amount of crime reports in the area. But they have been ill advised and the metal detectors will more than likely cause more problems.
Jada Lee St. Philomena's.
