A TOP community leader has called for a major government inquiry into gang and gun culture.

Geoff Thompson, who founded the Youth Charter charity, demanded a Royal Commission probe into the spiralling rise of violence.

Mr Thompson was speaking at a Manchester town hall debate into guns and gangs being filmed for a TV documentary when he was asked what he would do to tackle the problem if he was prime minister.

Royal Commissions are launched to look into matters of great importance and controversy. They are often headed by retired senior judges and involve consultations with experts as well as the public.

In an emotional speech, Mr Thompson said: "It deserves it.

"It demands it. I do believe - dare I say it - that there is an aid culture. There are agencies trying to do things to communities… if we want to achieve cohesion and inclusion, we need to empower communities and trust communities."

He said a Royal Commission inquiry would help put the issue back in the hands of the people rather than in the hands of politicians alone. "This is not the prime minister's burden. This is a national burden," he said.

Earlier, Mr Thompson - a three-times world karate champion, who was awarded an MBE in 1995 for his contribution to sport - paused to gather himself when he became emotional as he reflected on the 2006 murder of 15-year-old Jessie James in Moss Side.

"It broke my heart," he said, explaining how he struggled to come to terms with how the murder happened at a youth centre supposed to symbolise a positive way out of their problems for youngsters in the area.

Channel 4 will broadcast the debate as part of a series filmed around Britain next month, called The Truth About Street Weapons. Mr Thompson spoke about his roots in Wolverhampton and how he channelled his energies into sport. He later was appointed to the Sports Council and also helped Manchester's bids for the Olympics and Commonwealth Games.

In 1994, he set up the Youth Charter for Sport, Culture and Arts, a charity he still chairs that helps prevent youngsters being sucked into crime and anti-social behaviour.

He insisted that work had been done to divert youngsters from gangs and used the example of Moss Side Amateur Reserves - a football team which included members of rival gangs that were encouraged to `kick lumps out of each other rather than kill each other'.

Mr Thompson said the lack of sports facilities was the `biggest single obstacle' in getting kids off the streets. "Sport is nowhere near playing its full part," he said.

He said his own journey into martial arts had opened up new and positive opportunities, but insisted professional sportsmen and women should not be seen as role models, but simply as athletes. "If we can employ these energies in the right way, they will find other channels."

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