Early-intervention projects to tackle youth knife-crime

Projects that specialise in early intervention to tackle knife crime in London have been given funding from London’s Violence Reduction Unit (VRU).

Projects will focus on expanding after-school provision in high-crime areas - following data showing that violent incidents involving young people aged 10-16 are more likely to happen at the end of the school day.

Focus will also be given to supporting the transition from primary to secondary school and reducing school exclusions. This will be done by piloting a programme of inclusion and nurturing as developed in Glasgow where exclusions were reduced by 81 per cent over the last decade.

The Violence Reduction Unit, which was set up by the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, will provide £1.4 million funding for about 40 community projects that deliver interventions and provide support and activities for young Londoners in high-crime areas.

The projects will provide mentoring, counselling, school-based education schemes and community diversionary activities over the course of the next year for young people aged 10-21.

The VRU is focused on building the capacity of local organisations that work with young people to prevent and reduce violent crime within their communities. The VRU will carry out project reviews over the next 12 months to understand what works best and to make further decisions on where similar projects would be effective in making early interventions.

The new investment comes as London’s VRU secured £7m funding from the Home Office for a series of programmes and initiatives to tackle all forms of violence in the capital.