“There was a time when I glorified the gang lifestyle” – man helped by CIRV recounts his experiences

When Ryan* was 11-years-old he was excluded from school after being deemed a “safeguarding issue” following a fight with another student.

He was sent to another school and got excluded from that one too, again for similar reasons.

“I was a terror, constantly angry,” he recalls. “The kind of kid you wouldn’t want to get on the wrong side of. Me and my mates and another group of lads got very violent towards each other, machetes were being used and we were chasing each other on bikes.”

The turning point came when Ryan, aged 13-14 at the time, and his friend, were attacked in the street by a group of men with wooden bats, machetes and steel bars. Ryan’s shoulder was badly injured and his friend was stabbed 14 times.

Thankfully, they both survived. But a switch flicked in Ryan that day - he didn’t want to brush so close with death again and though he was arrested a few times after that day, it wasn’t long before a police officer made a referral to CIRV and he started to turn his life around.

Ryan said: “I met Junior Anderson and he supported me and found good things for me to do. I also met Wayne and Gifford from EXODUS and they are as real as they come. They mentored me and I am now doing a trainee mentorship which is going well. I have to make an effort, but it is worthwhile, and my confidence has grown.

“I have also done the 90-One motorbike education course which I loved, and I have achieved a BTEC in Health and Safety and am starting an apprenticeship. My future looks fabulous.

“There was a time when I glorified the gang lifestyle. Kids think that it gives them status and security but kids joining gangs don’t realise what mugs they are. They might get some money but nothing that benefits them or makes them feel good about themselves. There is a lot of worry. Those they are working for don’t care about them, if that worker hung themselves off a tree they wouldn’t care. I’ve owed money to a gang before and they tried to make me pay back five times what I owed them.

“Kids are acting hard but they don’t know what they are doing. I know because I used to be that kid. I had no fear. Weapons don’t matter because there is always someone bigger and harder waiting round the corner. People who will murder and do a prison stretch.

“And all that illegal money isn’t worth a legal pound because when a police officer kicks your door in, it’s all gone.

“I had my doubts at the time when I was referred to CIRV but if anyone else is thinking about it I would say, do it, give it a chance.”

Ryan’s mum added: “The support given to us by CIRV is amazing and without it, I’m not sure the outcome would have been so positive. I am so grateful and proud of my son’s achievements.”

CIRV Team Sergeant – Dina Sunderland said: “The change in Ryan’s circumstances, outlook and the promise of a brighter future is what the team in CIRV are striving every day to achieve with all the young people we work with. We delight in seeing them succeed, knowing that they are being diverted from crime and exploitation and the misery that entails, for not only them, but for those around them. It is impossible to quantify the future victims and incidents that are prevented with each person who is diverted away from criminality or to put a value on that in terms of that individual on the wider society.

“Change is never easy, it takes determination and courage, but Ryan has worked really hard to achieve this and both he and his Mum should be proud. I hope in sharing his story, others in a similar situation are encouraged to seek help from CIRV too.”

Contact the CIRV Team here: CIRV - Community Initiative to Reduce Violence (cirv-nsd.org.uk)

*names have been changed to protect privacy