Telegraph - 19th January 2009

School Pupils Wear Stab Vests to Protect Themselves from Gangs, report says

Pupils are wearing stab-proof and bullet-proof vests to school to protect themselves against gang attacks, according to a report.

The report by consultancy firm Perpetuity was commissioned by the NASUWT teachers' union to investigate gang culture in schools.

It included an estimate that the number of pupils under 16 involved in gangs has doubled in the past five years.

The report said: "Some schools have experienced the impact of gang culture and there are examples where former pupils have been killed as a result of involvement in gang-related activity.

"A secondary school in a gang-affected area may have 20 seriously gang-involved pupils, 40 less seriously involved and up to 100 marginally involved."

The report said teachers at one inner city comprehensive were "aware of young people wearing bullet-proof/stab-proof vests in school".

One pupil told researchers he wore body armour because he "needed to".
The report concluded that children as young as nine are getting involved with gangs as "runners" and "couriers".

It said: "Some of the schools felt the problem had increased over the last few years with gangs becoming more dangerous involving children at a younger age.

"Some schools have problems with pupils carrying weapons in school. This can include young people who carry weapons and those who hide weapons in and around school grounds."

The most common weapons teachers reported seeing were BB air pistols and batons, and in one teacher had seen a meat cleaver.