A TRUCE between two rival Edmonton gangs may be possible after 18 months of murder and mayhem on its streets.

The Grey Gang from N9 and the Green Gang, from N18 have been bitter rivals since the murder of the Grey's Henry Bolombi in the early hours of New Year's Day last year.

The 17-year-old's death sparked a series of tit for tat attacks which some believe were responsible for a spate of futher killings of teenage boys.

Nobody was ever brought to trial for his murder.

The latest stabbing in Edmonton two weeks ago is just the latest believed to be linked to the feud.

It is understood the victim was a member of the Grey Gang.

Now a respected youth worker who was a gang member himself in his teens, has been asked to mediate between the two sides.

Ken Hinds, 50, told the Independent today that he had been asked by a third party to get involved after senior members of the Grey Gang expressed a desire for peace.

But he warned the job would not be easy and he would need to tread carefully.

“If you put them together you are going to have war. You have to assess if the person is ready to talk of if they just want to use you to get to him, I could organise a meeting and the next thing one side will be shooting the other,” he said.

Instead Mr Hinds will act like a diplomat, relaying messages from one side to another.

Despite 2009 not being the annus horribilis that 2008 was, Mr Hinds said the problem of knife crime was actually more widespread.

“Things have gone from bad to worse as far as I'm concerned because people are hitting each other without much reason. Murders have gone down this year but stabbings have gone up.”

The 50-year-old, who has a variety of freelance jobs to fit around youthwork, said he had been asked to mediate because of gang experience meant young people would listen to him.

He was convicted of robbery aged 17 and served two prison sentences, for two and three years.

During a year of criminality he wore expensive clothes, slept all day and partied with girls all night, until he was caught.

But he says now he feels guilty for setting a bad example. He has lost his job and had other job offers withdrawn at the last minute because of his criminal record.

“These people won't let bygones be bygones. Because of what I went through I don't want to see them go through that or worse.

“Once you have killed someone you can't take it back.”

The gangs get their names from the colours they wear to identify themselves, usually in the form of a bandana.

This system, long established in America, is now replacing gang names based on place names but the members are still mostly drawn from separate postcode areas.

There are also grey and green gangs in Wood Green and a grey gang in Chingford.