The Thames Valley Police department, which patrols the areas of Berkshire, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire in England, has released a rap single discouraging gang violence in the area.
The track, “An Eye for An Eye” is a collaboration between local DJ LoMotes along with grime artists Styler, Sicx, Dimples and Treasure, .
Grime music emerged in the early 2000s in East London as a mix between garage, dancehall, and hip-hop.
The song promotes an anti-gang message and discourages knife crime in the Thames Valley region. A music video filmed in the High Wycombe town center features the artists visiting local gang spots.
According to the Guardian, police observed rival gangs posting antagonistic videos to bait each other on YouTube, so the cops decided to make their own, with a positive spin and “peer-to-peer” messaging.
“We were looking at targeting an age group of anything from 12 to 20, and so we needed something fresh and relevant and that young people would actually identify with,” detective inspector Colin Seaton said.
DJ LeMotes said that he plans to release a second single with Thames Valley Police, and wants collaborate with the force to set up their own music festival.
Sadly, no members of the squad make cameo appearances in the video. -Kelsey Fowler
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Kelsey Fowler is the 2012 Features Intern at The Denver Post, currently studying nothing music-related at Ithaca College. Help keep her in the loop on .
