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The government's gang crackdown could backfire, driving up rates of gang membership, increasing domestic violence and making it harder to exit gangs, according to expert advice from justice officials.
The government is introducing legislation banning gang patches in public, limiting freedom of association and imposing harsher sentences for crimes, regardless of whether the crime is linked to being in a gang.
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith says he campaigned on suppressing gangs and will push ahead despite opposition from officials.
Guyon Espiner reports.