IT stands as a paradigm of being tough on crime. According to Chief Inspector Gordon Cummings of Strathclyde Police, time is running out for violent and disorderly gang members who think they can terrorise communities. Why should a small minority blight the lives of the decent, hard-working residents of communities where gang activity drags down the quality of life? The question has particular relevance in those areas where poor health, limited education and employment opportunities and a depressing environment conspire not only to stack the odds against the decent, law-abiding majority but also contribute to higher levels of criminal activity among a hardened minority.

IT stands as a paradigm of being tough on crime. According to Chief Inspector Gordon Cummings of Strathclyde Police, time is running out for violent and disorderly gang members who think they can terrorise communities. Why should a small minority blight the lives of the decent, hard-working residents of communities where gang activity drags down the quality of life? The question has particular relevance in those areas where poor health, limited education and employment opportunities and a depressing environment conspire not only to stack the odds against the decent, law-abiding majority but also contribute to higher levels of criminal activity among a hardened minority.

Deploying the criminal justice system to call law-breakers to account is one part of the equation for tackling crime. It has become a cliche but lasting progress will not be made unless there is also a tough approach on the causes of crime. Strathclyde Police's Enhanced Policing Plan, targeting the east end of Glasgow, attempts to put theory into practice by addressing crime, specifically gang activity, and trying to do something about its causes, in one of the most deprived parts of Britain. As The Herald reveals today, an evaluation of the operation has significantly reduced crime and made communities feel safer as a consequence.

There would be considerable resource implications in extending the operation to other areas as it involves confronting troublemakers, holding them to account for their actions in the community and seeking, through positive activities, to steer them away from crime. The scale of that task is made clear in the evaluation. It shows, to a shocking extent, how ingrained a gang culture can be in families and communities. It is passed from one generation to the next. Some children are virtually schooled in gang activity.

Gangs have their own borders and territories to protect. This can cement a sense of kinship and belonging which, in a legitimate social enterprise, would be positive. But the impact is negative - particularly, perhaps, on communities where an area is defined by its gang name and where crossing a boundary can be a fearful prospect. How can the door of opportunity be opened, and a cycle of despair be broken, when a young person will not go to the local Jobcentre or for a job interview because passing through gang territory is considered too dangerous? It is a truly depressing landscape but it is much better to know the true extent of the problem if it is to be adequately tackled. Knowledge, combined with a properly resourced, rigorously enforced and intelligent response, can be a powerful weapon against a deep-rooted, malign gang culture.