Hackney Independent Black Minority Churches (BMC) in London are calling on the community to unite in the fight against gangs, guns, drugs, and knife crime.

BMC is running a day of workshops and seminars at Hackney Town Hall on Saturday, aimed at ensuring the local community is fully informed and galvanised to tackle this the issue.

The conference aims to better equip BMC members and the wider community with the facts related to gangs, guns, drugs and knife crime, empowering them and educating them on services already provided to the majority of young black youth not involved in criminality.

The Rev Joyce Daley of Hackney BMC says, "Many young people who have fallen victim to gangs, guns, drugs, and knife crime have some affiliation to a church, whether directly or indirectly, as do some of the perpetrators of these acts of violence.

"It is not acceptable for the church to be satisfied with dedicating these children at birth, only to be burying them a few years later.

"The church has a great responsibility to the local community, and it must take this opportunity to engage with young people and parents alike before families find themselves trapped in this often fatal cycle of violence."

The conference will consist of a number of presentations from key people within the black community, including Peter Herbert, Chair of the Society of Black Lawyers Association and the London Race Hate Crime Forum, Anthony Peltier, Executive Head teacher of Southwark Learning Services and EOTAS, and Peter Wallman, Consultant in Emergency Medicine. Other participants will include a drug and alcohol awareness team and representatives from the Metropolitan Police, whilst Councilor Julius Nkafu, Cabinet adviser for crime and community safety in the London Borough of Hackney will give a short address.