A SCOTTISH gangs expert is to speak with some of America's most violent offenders to help tackle its problems with youth crime.

Professor Ross Deuchar will quiz Florida gang members and violent offenders about their moral code and what might make them turn their backs on crime.

The Assistant Dean at the University of the West of Scotland’s School of Education will also speak to police in the southern US state about whether profiling is undermining trust in policing, as part of a five month Fulbright scholarship at Florida Atlantic University, in Boca Raton.

Read more: Imminent action on £300m sea lice problem

The research will help explore why the nearby city of West Palm Beach has crime rates three times the average - with gang culture a significant part of the problem.

Prof Deuchar departed last week for the prestigious posting, where he will also teach students at the university about gangs and the initiatives which have worked to help address the problem in Glasgow and elsewhere in the world.

"Glasgow is seen as almost an international case study in how to manage such problems," Prof Deuchar said. "The city used to have huge problems with gang fights and while some problems still exist, it is much improved."

The Glasgow-based Violence Reduction Unit and Community Initiative to Reduce Violence (CIRV) are among the approaches which have been effective in Scotland, by taking a social welfare and public health approach, rather than focusing on enforcement and punishment, he said.

Denmark has made use of yoga and a very successful boxing project to give young offenders a sense of purpose, he added, while America's own LA-based Homeboy Industries has put former gang members to work in jobs such as baking and creating branded clothing. "I will be introducing them to some of the rehabilitation programmes we have here and looking at the international evidence on youth violence and gang crime," he said.

Read more: Imminent action on £300m sea lice problem

His own research will focus on West Palm Beach County, where he will interview officers of WPBC Police Department, while also speaking to former gang members who have turned their back on violence.

"Gang culture is still a big problem there, though it varies from state to state," Prof Deuchar said. "It is also very linked with gun crime and drug markets. I will be interviewing people on probation for gang-related offences, looking at the relationship between what they do and their sense of masculinity.

"I will also be looking at what moral and ethical precepts which guide the behaviour of many gang members. A lot of young offenders have quite strong ethical beliefs in areas such as loyalty, brotherhood and snitching. That moral code could perhaps be turned in more positive directions."

"I’ll be working with the Boys and Girls Clubs of Palm Beach County too, looking at how their education programmes may prevent young people going down the pathways into crime."

Meanwhile WPBC PD is more focused on enforcement, with "stop and frisk" a common tactic, he said. "It seems as if there are very poor relations between police and young people , particularly young black males who all the evidence suggests are stopped much more often than anyone else in these communities. I'm interested in to whether police are successful at prevention, or whether they may even be exacerbating gang problems."

Read more: Imminent action on £300m sea lice problem

He said it was an honour to have been chosen for the scholarship and added: "It was very humbling to meet the other Fulbright scholars who come from such a diverse range of backgrounds including medicine, law, business and the creative arts. It is terrific to be one of the grantees and have my work recognised by such a prestigious award."

John Smkyla, Director and Professor for FAU’s School of Criminology and Criminal Justice said: “As FAU’s first Fulbright scholar-in-residence, Professor Deuchar will engage in community outreach with local law enforcement agencies. We are really looking forward to having Professor Deuchar here. There’s so much to learn from him.”