"arguments can't be sorted out by violence" Poem. By Danielle Wood-Wallace On the 9th October every year, we will sit down and celebrate the life of Danielle Beccan, who was a friend to many. 30 minutes past the hour of 12, bullets were shot and her life was stolen. The heartache and pain is unbearable. How many times must a bullet fly, before they're forever banned? How many people must die, before you realise arguments can't be sorted out by violence? So many tears have passed through my eyes that it feels like acid's been chucked into them. So many thoughts have gone through my mind, that I feel sick to the stomach. I feel empty inside but also numb. Who will stop these tragic losses? Who? Danielle Beccan was shot on Saturday, 9th October at around 00:30, 100 yards from her home in St.Anns. She died 3 hours later in hospital.
The teenager had returned from an evening with friends at the Goose Fair and was to stay with them for a sleepover party at the home of a friend who was celebrating her birthday. Police report that six shots were fired by a passing car, a gold car with darkened windows, one of which hit Danielle in the stomach.
The motive for the shootings has not been established; whilst the motive or reason is unknown, it's difficult to determine which new policy measures should be taken next.
Danielle was a pupil at Elliott Durham school, which held a special assembly in her memory on the following Monday, at which the poem (see above) written by one of Danielle's friends was read out. Other events and assistance were laid on for pupils who wished to grieve, including the opportunity to sign a book of condolence and to add comments to a 'tree of life'. All parents and carers can be proud of their child's conduct at the assembly.
Pupils organised another assembly at school on Friday.
Danielle Beccan's murder has given some parts of the media and other campaigning groups licence to discuss gun crime in Nottingham without any sense of proportion - describing Nottingham as a "Gun Capital" when it is reported by others that the majority of gun crime is in London, Manchester and the West Midlands; the murder represents the first injury from guns in the city since May.
Progress has been made on the issue of gun crime - Nottinghamshire Constabulary's Operation Stealth has helped reduced the number of guns in circulation and has seen a significant number of people arrested. The Police are confident of finding the culprits and two men have now been charged with murder.
- - - City Council 22 November 2004 - Item 6 - To consider motion:- That this Council views with the greatest concern the incidence of gun crime in Nottingham, and particularly the recent tragic death of Danielle Beccan. Whilst believing that the relative incidence of crime associated with drugs and guns in the inner city and on the outer estates of Nottingham needs to be seen in comparison with other major cities, this Council requires the Chief Executive, in association with the Chief Constable, to produce a new strategy to combat such crime including, amongst others, the following elements:- 1) a still more robust and effective policing initiative to target all those involved in drugs and gun crime; 2) the confidence of and co-operation with those communities affected by such crimes; 3) the commitment of the Council and other statutory service providers to offer the highest quality educational and employment opportunities for those tempted by criminal lifestyles, including diversionary activities for young people and easily accessible rehabilitation for long term drug users. Such a strategy should be placed before Council within 6 months. Councillor John Taylor - - - - Speech by Cllr. Michael Edwards - Chair, I’m grateful to Cllr. Collins who has taken the responsibility to explain the situation in a proprtionate manner, showing the latest ranges of additional initiatives and actions being taken on. It’s right to discuss a matter which for some days was a significant national issue, and which was a major trauma in the lives of our teenagers in St.Anns and at the Elliott Durham school, where colleagues will know I am Chair of Governors. There’s much I could say about the impact of the event on children at the Elliott Durham school, especially on the first day back in school, but I can’t and I won’t – because first and foremost, the role of the school is to act as a rock of support to our children, providing security and certainty, and part of that role is to be a place of privacy for children as they deal with the issues. However, I can again say that in public, our pupils have conducted themselves well, in particular at the civic event – Nottingham Stands Together; and I am particularly proud of Danielle Wood-Wallace’s contribution. (see above) Her poem spoke loud and clear and was quite something for a 14 year old to write within 24 hours of the murder of one of her best friends. By contrast, I found the media to be highly frustrating and so disappointing. Knowing how qualified people must become and how hard they must have to work to obtain jobs with such national profile, I remain dismayed at how fast members of the media must rush to judgement and pronouncement, without really asking themselves what is going on and dismissing the number of red herrings that will arise first. I suspect an inability to resist such pressure was why people ending up making such silly pronouncements in the Parliamentary debate. All of us in this chamber know to test the concerns raised by members of the public against reality. We always qualify concerns raised in a complaint with either our own understanding or by some expression of our opportunity to have tested the reality. We should expect the same of other professionals who get involved. On Cllr. Culley’s contribution, … the analysis of figures was somewhat desperate, never quite being able to make a conclusion; nor do I think it’s enough to be a member of a public authority and vote against a budget, without proposing an alternative. Which is why, I’m grateful for the open-ended nature of Cllr. Taylor’s resolution. There is a risk in formulating a significant new expression of policy, of strategy, of what to do next, when the actual motivation for the shooting is not sufficiently understood. The motion does refer to tackling drug use and gun crime, but it does it in the most general terms and to be specific would require fuller knowledge than we have today as to why this shooting occurred. I welcome Cllr. Collins’ proportionate discussion of the various tensions between communities and believe community cohesion will have to be one of the areas of concern and policy that we should review during the next weeks and months as a matter of policy. Finally the motion refers to providing educational and employment opportunities. Given that investment in a child’s secondary education from St.Anns is something like over double the expenditure in cash terms than it was eight years ago; and given the emphasis at schools on quality of teaching, quality of learning and the organisation & planning of the school, any simplistic analysis based on exam results will not do. I think some of the work being done in scrutiny may well be of value – particularly that of under-achievement in some ethnic minority groups. We have rights and responsibilities – a review along the lines of community cohesion may well tap into – - the support the community could be giving to the education of children, - in particular in terms of helping children to focus on school work and on being not too tired at school; - re-iterating the disciplinary policies of school elsewhere, emphasising and repeating the concepts of causes and consequences. Again, it’s something in the open nature of the phrasing of the motion, that gives us the opportunity to take the time to get the analysis right and to make the right recommendations, that I welcome in today’s motion and why I remain grateful that it has been placed.
Press releases and Articles from the local press -
From the Nottingham Evening Post - Danielle's schoolfriends were [on Monday] taking part in a private remembrance assembly for the 14-year-old. Valerie Penny-Stewart, head teacher of Elliott Durham School, said staff and pupils remembered a happy young girl. "Danielle was a lovely, popular and bubbly young woman. Staff, students and her friends are deeply shocked and saddened that such a vibrant life has been cut short so cruelly. "After discussing the situation with staff we have decided to make the remembrance assembly a private affair. It will be an extremely emotional occasion and people want to remember Danielle in dignity. "We are creating a Danielle room at the school where pupils and staff can go and sit and silently remember her. "We have opened a book of condolence for Danielle. A lot of pupils here were close friends with her. Two teachers have been taken off timetable to counsel any pupils who are finding it difficult to cope. Nottingham City Council has offered to send their counsellors here. "Danielle had many friends and was a talented all-rounder in lessons. She had been with us since Year Seven and had just started Year Ten. "Over the next few weeks and months our thoughts will be very much with her family and friends and the community of St Ann's. "Her death is an enormous tragedy for all who knew her. The city of Nottingham will be in mourning. This was a completely random killing. We find it unbelievable that someone has been so inhumane and cruel."
Nottingham City Council leader Jon Collins said he was “deeply shocked and appalled” by the death of 14-year-old Danielle Beccan following a shooting incident in Nottingham in the early hours of Saturday morning. “This is an absolutely senseless crime and a tragic waste of a young life. I cannot begin to imagine how devastated Danielle’s family and friends must be, and my thoughts are with them at this time.” He asked anyone who had information about the crime to help the police with their investigation. “The tiny minority of people who are prepared to use guns with criminal intent need to understand that society will not tolerate such appalling behaviour.” Councillor Collins said he acknowledged that gun-related crime was a serious issue in Nottingham, but that it was not unique to the city. “Unfortunately, it’s very easy to label Nottingham following an incident like this and jump to conclusions about how safe it is to go out at night, but most people would not recognise Nottingham as being that place. It is not the reality of everyday life in the city.” A Book of Condolence in memory of Danielle has been opened at the Council House.
Note, since 1997, Notts has -
- 200 more Police officers;
- 267 extra support staff, which should release more officers for beat duties; and
- 51 Police Community Support officers, with a further bid in for 100 more.
Also £145k was allocated in July for projects in St.Anns and Radford supporting communities by working with young people at risk of involvement in drugs and gun crime, through a variety of diversionary activities; the project is currently being set up. There's £86k to the 5 Regional Police Forces to do a gun crime mapping and intelligence exercise. £5k for a gun crime regional seminar. The Home Office awarded £10k to the Nottingham section of the Mothers Against Guns through the Connected fund for their work on gun crime prevention.
In Nottingham city, over the last 12 months, all crime is down 12%, burglaries are down 18%, robbery is down 33%, vehicle crime is down 54%, and violent crime is down 12%. Drug offences are up 24%, possibly reflecting the effectiveness of the crackdown by the Police resulting in higher arrests.
From the Nottingham Evening Post -
MPS HIT BACK OVER '30S CHICAGO' JIBE
BY DAVID BYERS PARLIAMENTARY CORRESPONDENT
12:00 - 20 October 2004
"REMINISCENT of Chicago in the 1930s, not a historic English town."
That is how shadow home secretary David Davis - the Tories' answer to David Blunkett - described the city of Nottingham.
Furious city MPs replied that Nottingham was being damaged by politicians exaggerating its gun crime for their own gain.
"We do not compare with London, we do not compare with Manchester, and we do not compare with the West Midlands," said Nottingham East MP John Heppell, who represents the area where Danielle Beccan died.
"What is starting to happen is Nottingham is being harmed by this negative publicity that is being generated.
"I am sure the city will be affected by this - in terms of inward investment, in terms of outsiders visiting the city and in terms of people wanting to go out at night, but feeling afraid.
"Nottingham is not the worst in the country. It's not the gun capital of the UK. Yes, it has serious gun-related problems, but so does every city."
Mr Davis made his comments during a Commons debate on gun crime yesterday. He ran through a series of gun-related murders in Nottingham, then asked: "What creates the conditions for this casual viciousness and the cavalier use of lethal firearms in a manner reminiscent of Chicago in the 1930s, not an historic English town?"
He said drugs were often the main cause of gun crime, adding: "We are witnessing a formula for disaster. Drug use is getting out of control, drug barons are steadily increasing in strength, and all too often the outcome is violence."
In the debate, Nottingham South MP Alan Simpson called for a concerted national fight against the suppliers of guns and drugs, and a ban on cars with blacked-out windows.
But he also backed Mr Heppell in warning of the dangers of exaggerating Nottingham's problems.
He had lived most of his life in St Ann's and was the chair of governors at the school which Danielle Beccan attended, he said, and could not recognise the city talked about in the past weeks.
"I walked around the streets in many of those communities over the weekend, and talked to families that I have known for decades.
"The people who make up Nottingham are kind, decent and generous, and the city needs to be understood and recognised as comprising such people."
Former University of Nottingham student Parmjit Dhanda, now Labour MP for Gloucester, also weighed in.
"Nottingham is one of the most sought-after places to live in the entire country, and like many others I spent some of the happiest times of my life in the city," he said.
[Last updated 2004-12-25]
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