Inviting gang members to listen to victims' families has won Enfield Borough Council a national award for tackling youth violence.

The borough was named as this year’s winner of the Tilley Awards, which recognise innovation in fighting crime, at a ceremony in the Houses of Parliament on Thursday.

The award was given to Enfield Council for fighting crime by inviting young gang members to call-ins to hear harrowing stories from victims’ families, former gang members and surgeons who deal with injuries caused by gang violence on a daily basis. 

The authority’s cabinet member for community wellbeing and public health, Councillor Christine Hamilton, said: “We’re delighted to have received this award, which reflects the hard work and dedication of everyone associated with tackling gang crime and serious youth violence in Enfield.

“We’re looking forward to continue working with a wide range of partners to address the challenges of tackling youth crime and making Enfield a safer place for everyone to live, work in and visit.

"Enfield is a safe borough and we’ll continue to seek innovative new ways of cutting crime and protecting the public.”

The award marks the successful way the council, police, community groups and the public work together to deal with crime.

A panel of academic experts selected Enfield as the winner out of 74 projects nationwide.