Police have denied a sustained increase in gang violence in Lambeth despite it being outlined in an official report.
A report from the Safer Lambeth Partnership (SLP) presented to a Lambeth Council committee last week stated the borough had seen “a significant increase in gang activity in the past 12 months”.
It also linked a spike in shootings in the borough from April to July to gang activity.
But Detective Superintendent John Corrigan, who heads up Lambeth police's response to serious crime, said he would be investigating how the information in the report was compiled.
He said while there had been “a spike” in gang related problems in the north of the borough around April, there was no increase prior to that.
He also said an increase in gun crime was linked to “a number of factors”, including a rise in armed robberies and not “intrinsically to gangs”.
The report from the SLP, the multi-agency body which includes Lambeth Council and Lambeth police - states 74 serious gun-enabled crimes took place between April and July.
The four month spike in gun offences represents a significantly higher rate of gun crime compared with the 12 months leading to March this year, when 136 gun crimes were recorded.
If maintained, statistics could show some 222 gun crimes committed in the year to next April, a higher rate than in 2007-8, when a Lambeth Council report estimated a quarter of all London's gangs were based in the borough.
Det Supt Corrigan said while the surge in gun crime was a concern, he was confident it would be brought under control by Trident, the Met's specialist black on black gun crime unit, and the Flying Squad.
He also said the multi-agency approach to battling youth participation in gangs was working.
Lambeth Council launched its £4m young and safe plan last year which included increasing spending on youth projects and activities.
However Dept Supt Corrigan warned gangs would always look to recruit young people in to their gangs.
He said: “They get them to transport their guns and drugs because they believe the punishments will not be so strong for young people.”
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