You asked
Please can you provide the following information for 2016/17, 2015/16 and 2013/14:
Statistics on the number of gangs and the number of gang members (ages approximately 12 – 20) in London and in Essex.
Statistics on the number of gang related activities in London and in Essex regarding knife crime and sexual exploitation specifically.
We said
Unfortunately we do not hold the information you have requested.
We publish statistics taken from the Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) and crimes recorded by the police. We do not collect statistics relating to the number of active gangs. The CSEW collects some information on the proportion of children aged 10 to 15 and adults aged 16 to 29 who are a member of a street gang however it does not collect information on crimes relating to street gangs.
Information published from the CSEW for the year ending March 2014 on the proportion of children aged 10 to 15 and adults aged 16 to 24 who are involved in a street gang can be found here.
Police recorded crime data will include offences which are related to gangs, however these are not separately identifiable from other crimes.
By its nature gang membership is a challenging area to collect statistics on but you may find this research report, published by the Home Office, helpful.
If you like any further information, you can email CrimeStatistics@ons.gov.uk and we will endeavour to help.