A new report says the Government should stop trying to tackle gang culture centrally and should instead give local councils more control over neighbourhood policing with the freedom to develop their own strategies to tackle violence.

The think-tank New Local Government Network says Whitehall-driven targets do not take into account the diverse nature of many gangs and councillors should be allowed to tackle the problem based on local issues.

It also suggests local residents could have greater influence over sentences for gang-related crimes.

This would allow judges to discuss with the local community how a convicted gang member should be punished.

Sheffield's ruling Lib Dems welcomed the report.

Coun Bob McCann, cabinet member for neighbourhoods, said: "Generic top down approaches to these types of challenges do not work as every area is different, with it's own unique problems.

"I would support bringing more powers down to a local level so that local councillors, in partnership with local people, have a bigger role to play.

"We want to bring forward Community Justice Panels so that local people can engage with the justice system.

"We want to ensure that local people have an influence and can see that the punishment fits the crime when it comes to community sentences.

"This also fits in with our ambition to hand more powers down to local people. They should be able to influence their local services and the issues affecting them."

The New Local Government Network also backed plans to give directly elected mayors, such as Doncaster's Martin Winter, greater power over local police forces

It says council leaders should be given a stronger role and that police authorities should be scrapped and their powers returned to elected council leaders.

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