A Progressive Labour Party plan to sit down with gang leaders and listen to their concerns is not the correct way to understand the tide of violence in the community, a Government Minister said yesterday.

Public Safety Minister Quinton Edness was responding to reports that the PLP was planning a youth summit designed to discuss difficulties being faced by young people.

While Mr. Edness said he agreed with the use of dialogue as one tool that can be employed to curtail the spread of lawless and anti-social activity among young persons, he stopped short of endorsing the plan.

He said: "I do not advocate nor would I cause the Government to advocate, sitting down with any gang leader to have some sort of a summit meeting.

"The law is there and the position I take is very strong. If they are going to have gangs, destroy people's property and fight and stab other people and one another, then they are breaking the law. The Police will deal with them to the fullest extent of the law. If they continue with this gang warfare then that is what it will be.'' Mr. Edness said that he would support the community taking a hard line against that kind of lawlessness and the people who participate in it. He added: "When I talk about dialogue I refer to the younger children who may be having problems with their parents and are out on the street when they should not be.

"But when it comes to those who have fights and run up and down using knives, I do not advocate talking to them.

"The `talk' I advocate is that the law should be and will be applied to the fullest.'' However, Shadow Health Minister Renee Webb, one of the architects of the Youth Summit, said that Government's stance was "typically short sighted.'' "I don't think that punitive measures are the answer,'' she said. "That has always been the way that Government reacts.

"We have a reactionary Government that says that when people have problems and are disruptive, the way to deal with it is through legislation, stricter prison sentences and higher fines.'' The problem with that reasoning, Ms Webb pointed out, is that it has been tried and proven to be ineffective.

Consequently, what was required was a different approach that used a vehicle that young people could relate to.

Ms Webb said that while the Youth Summit idea was in its infancy, she had received much positive feedback from persons under the age of 30 who want to be facilitators.

"The answer is for us to talk to those who are causing the disruption and hear what they have to say,'' she continued.

"We do not intend to talk down to anyone. It is to be a community driven and supported venture.

"To suggest that we should not talk to gang leaders is the problem. They have not been listened to all their lives that is why they are manifesting this behaviour.

"They are acting out for a reason and we need to hear what that reason is.'' CRIME CRM