A coordinated effort among law enforcement, schools, and non-profits would help to combat the impact of gangs in Guilford County. That’s according to a study presented today by UNC Greensboro. Youth Focus, a non-profit for at-risk youth is one of the groups involved in that effort.
Executive Director Chuck Hodierne says he hopes the study will make the community more aware of the issue of gangs. He says gang activity is a very difficult problem to address directly:
"Once a young person is in a gang, it’s not perhaps too late to get them out of the gang but it’s very difficult. So we’re really hoping that as a community we can focus on gang prevention and doing the things that’ll strengthen our community and strengthen families to prevent young people from wanting to get into gangs in the first place."
The researchers partnered with local law-enforcement agency, studied census data, and conducted surveys with local residents. The study shows High Point has the highest number of gangs with 51 unique sets. See the full study here: www.uncg.edu/csr/news.html