The gang has been a focal concern in UK media, political discourse, policy, and policing interventions in the last decade, occupying the position of contemporary ‘folk devil’. Despite the heightened attention on urban ‘gang culture’, sociological research on gangs in the UK is limited. However, some sociologists do stress a deterministic relationship between gangs and black urban youth, rendering urban men a source of fascination and repulsion, easy scapegoats in explaining street violence. Arguably, current work that privileges the idea of gang membership misunderstands much about the lives of some men involved. This thesis contributes to correcting that misunderstanding. The study adopts a social constructionist perspective in understanding the (multiple) ways urban men in an inner city area of London construct their lives when immersed in what they refer to as being ‘on road’, a symbolic space in which everyday lives are played out. As a broadly ethnographic study, the data for the thesis were generated using participant observation and semi-structured interviews with a range of participants, including young and adult men. The study identifies three distinct ways in which some men become trapped in difficult experiences and identities ‘on road’. It focuses on the implications of the notion of ‘trappedness’ on their experiences in public space, employment opportunities and, self- identity. The ‘on road’ lives of the men in the study represent a paradox: the road appears to offer opportunity to build masculine identity but entangles them further in a trap, restricting freedom and stunting personal growth. This study has significance for sociological theory. Theoretically, the idea of being ‘on road’ can be understood as a discourse that persists in the language and symbolism that flows through these men’s experiences and narratives. As such the idea of ‘onroadness’ powerfully shapes all aspects of their lives. It is argued that more focus is needed on the psychosocial factors that force some men into volatile social worlds, and the personal contexts that frame local narratives of ‘on road’ culture, especially within wider experiences of friendship, faith, and identity. The thesis suggests that this form of analysis offers a critical explanatory framework within which it is possible to understand the lives of some of the young and adult men in certain inner city areas in the UK.

The aim of this study is to assess the implementation of the Youth Crime Prevention Desk (YCPD) programme in the Ekurhuleni North Cluster in Gauteng. Since the Social Crime Prevention Strategy was introduced in the South African Police Service (SAPS), no study has been conducted in the organisation to assess whether this strategy has yielded the expected results in line with its objectives. Data was collected by means of in-depth interviews as well as focus group interviews with Community Policing Forum (CPF) members, YCPD programme community volunteers, SAPS social crime prevention coordinators, Department of Community Safety (DoCS) social crime prevention coordinators and a station commander in the Ekurhuleni North Cluster. These participants are closely involved with the YCPD programme and freely expressed their views, understanding, knowledge and beliefs in relation to the implementation and associated activities of the YCPD programme. In addition, the researcher conducted a comprehensive literature study of the national legislation, SAPS policies and directives that oversee and promote social crime prevention in South Africa, as well as library resources and international studies. Various objectives were fulfilled in the execution of this study:  It was determined that social crime prevention guidelines are not complied with regarding the implementation of the YCPD.  It was determined that the YCPD is not achieving its proposed aims and objectives. In addition, this study and its results provide a framework for mitigating the challenges encountered during the implementation of strategies for improving the establishment of the YCPD in the Ekurhuleni North Cluster. The findings of the research indicate that the YCPD programme has not been effectively implemented within the Ekurhuleni North Cluster, since it became evident that the YCPD role-players are confronted by various challenges, which impede the proper implementation of the programme. Based on the findings of this study, a Youth Crime Prevention Desk Implementation Framework was developed. This framework could serve as a guideline advising the South African Police Service, Department of Community Safety, Community Policing Forums and Youth Crime Prevention Desk programme’s community volunteers in the Ekurhuleni North Cluster how the implementation of the programme could be improved. This framework could also contribute towards further identifying best practices with a view to benchmarking such a framework in other areas in South Africa. This study makes a significant contribution to the improvement of the implementation of the Youth Crime Prevention Desk programme in the Ekurhuleni North Cluster and to youth social crime and violence in general. / Police Practice / D. Litt. et Phil. (Police Science)