Latest news with #ViolenceReductionUnit
BBC News
18-06-2025
- BBC News
Serious crime involving children increases in London, report finds
An increasing proportion of children aged between 10 and 14 years old are suspected of committing violent crime in London, in comparison to other young people, a report has to Met Police figures, 7,512 children aged between 10 and 14 were suspected of violent crime, including knife offences, in 2023, a rise of 38% from this is below the 2019 figure, the report highlighted that those aged 10-14 made up a higher percentage of serious offences involving young people in 2023, compared to Peck, director of London's Violence Reduction Unit (VRU), which commissioned the study, described the findings as "disturbing". The VRU was set up by London mayor Sadiq Khan in 2019 to try to tackle the underlying causes of study, put together by crime and justice specialists Crest Advisory, analysed data between 2019 and 2023 to examine the impact and background of crime in London, and provide recommendations on how to respond to it. The figures show that serious offences affecting under 25-year-olds initially fell during the pandemic, but increased in the years 2019, there were 56,734 serious offences involving those aged 24 and under, falling to 37,616 in 2021 and rising to 41,147 by in 2019, children aged 10-14 were involved in 15.9% of those offences, this had risen to 18.3% in comparison, for those aged 15-18 the proportion fell from 47.8% in 2019 to 43.5% in 2023, and for 19-25s it rose from 36.3% to 38.3% in the same time period. Ms Peck said the report highlighted the importance of the VRU's work aimed at tackling school absences and exclusions, which were found to be key risk factors in children becoming involved in study said the number of permanent exclusions in inner London had fallen over five years, while increasing nationally, but the number of suspensions had increased across both inner and outer London. It also said that young people with special educational needs were disproportionately represented in the youth justice 2023, the VRU launched a three year, £3m project involving 70 primary schools across seven boroughs, offering targeted support to improve children's language and communication skills. "It really directly helps support young people to address things like conflict by using words not fists," Ms Peck said. Manda George, head teacher of Torridon primary in Catford, south-east London, said her school had used the funding to expand its support for children with speech language and communication needs through oracy lessons, as well as teaching children about relationships and conflict resolution. She said teachers were still seeing the impact of the pandemic, which has left an increasing number of young children struggling with language skills."We can see straight away in nursery if a child needs something extra in terms of language and communication, and similarly a child with being able to talk about their emotions, or how they're feeling, as opposed to hitting out or lashing out."Now in the second year of the programme, Ms George said the school had seen a huge improvement in behaviour. "If children are able to resolve that conflict before they get angry, before they get upset, then it doesn't escalate to a point where we are having to intervene with things like suspensions and exclusions." Sai Satyadeva, Torridon primary school's inclusion leader, said it was easy for children to become "lost or labelled" in secondary school and then disengage. She said since the expansion of the oracy programme pupils were "better able to advocate for themselves" and were showing improvements in their behaviour and forming better relationships with their peers. When we visited the school, some of the older children were discussing a book they'd been reading, using a technique called Rally Robin, which Ms Satyadeva explained encouraged them to take turns, without one person dominating the children picked up from each other using phrases such as "I would like to build on" or "I would like to challenge" the ideas put forward by their classmates. Ten-year-old Ashton said it gave them the ability to disagree with each other "but not in a rude way. We don't say, you're not correct, or shout out". He told me his friends now used a similar technique in the playground to decide which games to play."If one person says how they feel, then the other person says how they feel, then you can figure out a way to resolve the argument," added his classmate, Madison, aged 10. Eleven-year-old Isla said she liked this as it helped her to "see the other people's point of view"."If you're in a large disagreement, we don't want it to get really physical" explained 10-year-old Ethan. "We talk about our feelings." Ms Peck insisted the results within the schools the VRU had been working with had been "remarkable". "Ninety-six percent of young people who have got involved in these type of lessons narrowed the gap between their peers, and 81% narrowed it by more then 50%," she it will be some time before it's possible to evaluate whether such a programme can help lower the number of young people being stabbed on London's streets. The report points out that, as the VRU was only created five years ago, it is difficult to measure how successful its public health approach has been, while the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic had made it "difficult to see key trends in crime data". "I think we do have to acknowledge that last year, for the first time, we had the lowest level of murders for under 25 [year olds] for 23 years," Ms Peck said, when asked about the figures in the she added that it "doesn't breed any complacency."It's something Londoners are concerned about, absolutely rightly so, and we see far too may young people get caught up in violence." The report also recommended that the VRU should commission research into the exposure of children to online harm, including social media, as well as harmful relationships with peers and follows the release of hit Netflix series Adolescence earlier this year which sparked a national conversation about the impact of social media on young people."It's important that we understand what is going on the virtual space and how that relates to physical violence," said Ms Peck. The Metropolitan Police commissioner has repeatedly warned that knife crime could rise in London without more funding from the government, although following last week's Spending Review, the chancellor said she was confident that pledges on cutting crime and increasing police numbers can be kept."Everybody wants to feel safer," Ms Peck said, when asked if she was concerned about Sir Mark Rowley's comments. "What we need to be doing is really investing in that prevention that stops young people getting engaged [in crime] and being exploited in the first place." But won't some people be sceptical about the link between funding oracy programmes for young children and preventing a young teenager from picking up a knife? "I can appreciate that," said Ms Peck, "but it's entirely logical. We know the safest place for children is in school."One of the key factors of a young person being excluded, or being suspended, is very often because they're unable to articulate themselves very well, and that turns into bad behaviour." Head teacher Manda George told me she can "absolutely" see the link between supporting speech and language skills for very young children and preventing older ones becoming involved in violence. "The earlier we can support children the better. By the time they're in secondary school it's too late."
Daily Record
12-06-2025
- Politics
- Daily Record
Scotland's justice secretary pledges £6m more to tackle youth violence after latest summit
Angela Constance announced the move following the latest emergency event at St Andrew's House in Edinburgh on Thursday. Scotland's justice secretary has pledged an additional £6m to tackle youth violence after the latest summit. Cabinet Secretary Angela Constance announced the move following the latest emergency event at St Andrew's House in Edinburgh. The cash will come next year as part of the Scottish Government's Cashback for Communities Fund. It comes amid the Record's applauded Our Kids ... Our Future campaign which was launched two years ago in response to a youth violence epidemic. As part of the campaign, we have repeatedly demanded the Scottish Government to invest in young people, so they can be nurtured, mentored and guided in every community. Speaking to the Record yesterday afternoon, Constance said: "I have increased investment in the Violence Reduction Unit and Medics Against Violence. "Today, we reopened the cashback for communities fund which will be £26m over the next three years. "That is about directly funding youth-related activities. Some of that work helps to keep young people out of the justice system and on the right side of the law." The total amount of cash to go to kids between next year and 2029 will be £26 - an increase of £6m from the £20m announced as part of the fund in 2023. Scotland has been rocked by three blade tragedies in less than 12 months. Kory McCrimmon, 16, died after he was stabbed in Glasgow's Greenfield Park on May 31, 2024. Amen Teklay, 15, died after he was found seriously injured on a street in the city's Maryhill on March 5 this year. Just weeks later, 16-year-old Kory McCrimmon died in hospital following an incident at Irvine Beach in Ayrshire on May 17. Three teenage boys aged 14, 15, and 16 have been arrested and charged in connection with the death of Amen, an Eritrean refugee, while three male youths - a pair aged 17 and a 14-year-old - appeared in court charged with the murder of Kayden. And just last month, a 14-year-old boy was sentenced to five years detention after admitting culpable homicide following the death of Kory at the park in Glasgow's east end. Constance went on to admit there is little she can say to comfort the parents of the boys involved in all three tragedies. She said: "I know there is probably little I can say to comfort grieving families. "I also know from my direct engagement with families of victims who have suffered a fatality that what they want more than anything, is to know that this won't happen to any other families. "They also want to know that the risk of this happening to others is reduced. "That's why we are so focused on prevention because that is the best and most effective way to prevent other families from facing this." Jimmy Paul, head of the Scottish Violence Reduction Unit, also attended the emergency summit. He urged the Scottish Government to invest in youth work at all levels. He said: "In Scotland, we know creating safe spaces is a big part of youth work but so is other forms of youth work such as having steet workers, having positive role models, having whole-family support and addressing their trauma. "There is no silver bullet but we need to work on all of these things. "My hope now is that after this summit, we see more funding in all of these things to prevent youth crime." Dr Christine Goodall, founder of Medics Against Violence, added: "Youth work is important both within work and in education settings. "After today's summit, we'd like to see this be made a priority. "We know that not all young people have access to youth work and that youths often don't get access to a trusted adult. "We'd like to see these things prioritised and more support for families." Vicky Donald, whose then 12-year-old daughter Kaylynn was battered on a school bus on her way home from class in Ladybank, FIfe in October 2022, said the funding was a "drop in the ocean" for the Scottish Government. The 38-year-old said: "It's is a drop in the ocean and won't stretch far enough. The entire £ 26 isn't spread evenly enough - particularly if you look into breaking cash down into local areas. "The majority of this cash will go to densely populated areas. Some of the cash will even go to sport centres. "This crisis needs a specific fund where cash goes directly to tackling youth violence. epidemic is. "What are they doing to make the streets safer? Nothing." Angela Jarvis' daughter, Abbie, also aged 12 at the time of her attack, was left with PTSD following the brutal beating at a skatepark in Drumchapel just three after Kaylynn's assault. The mum called on the Scottish Government to stretch its funding further to help kids affected by crime. Angela, 44, said: "An additional £6m is welcomed but it isn't really enough to tackle this crisis and children who are affected by it. "The funding should go wider than just youth work - kids are facing a mental health crisis caused by violence and its aftermath. There needs to be more money for that too."
The Guardian
04-06-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
Youth workers in London custody centres stop 90% reoffending, says report
A scheme aiming to turn children arrested for violence away from crime has claimed staggering success, with up to nine out of 10 diverted from further offending, a new report says. Under the scheme, which is funded by London's Violence Reduction Unit (VRU), special youth workers are placed in police custody centres across the capital. The VRU claims the overwhelming majority of 10- to 17-year-olds do not reoffend within 12 months of release from custody. Lib Peck, the director of the London VRU, said the £40m-a-year cost of the unit, which runs a range of initiatives, is more than made up for by the money saved from the cost of reoffending. She said prevention works and deserves more money, adding: 'Society and government have focused a lot more on policing and enforcement than they have on prevention.' A report to mark London VRU's first five years of operating says the cost of youth violence in London alone is £1bn a year, including the cost to the police, courts system, health and victim services. VRUs sprung up across the UK amid a growing concern over knife crime. London's unit is the biggest, with the capital also suffering the highest rate of knife crime. The report details what drives violent crime and how a public health approach can help reduce it. The scheme includes support based at hospital emergency departments aimed to stop retaliation from victims of violence, as well as services in police custody suites that have tried to help 800 children. The report says: 'Monitoring data shows that nearly three-quarters of young people in hospital following a stabbing or violent incident reduced their risk of harm after the intervention from a youth worker. 'And last year, data reported by our projects showed that almost 90 percent of teenagers arrested for violent offences did not reoffend over the next 12 months following intervention and help from a youth worker based in the busiest police stations in London.' The scheme is showing signs of being able to exploit the 'teachable moment', long talked about by police and youth workers. It is the point where someone is wavering between continuing as a criminal or turning their back on violence. Michael Gosling, one of the London youth workers based in police custody, said he tries to earn childrens' trust and tells them not to discuss their crimes with him, with most wanting to talk about what led to them being under arrest. 'Going into custody can be quite scary,' he said. 'I try to appeal to them by using body language. I tell them I am there for them, I am not there to judge them. 'We are not wearing the get up of a police officer. I make it clear I am not a police officer.' Austerity led to a retreat from the streets where gangs driving violence took hold. VRUs and the expansion of youth work they involve, represent an attempt to counter attitudes supporting violence. Gosling said of one case: 'He was a product of his environment.' Some youngsters are driven by needing money to eat, others to buy trainers or just getting money exploiting 'the playground of opportunities', Gosling said. 'Older gang members are looking for younger children who are vulnerable, to recruit them,' he added. Gosling said others see violence as a necessary part of their attempt to make money: 'The thought process is here and now. They are out to get it by any means necessary.' The report says low trust in the Metropolitan police damages the fight against crime: 'Trust and confidence in policing have seen sustained declines over recent years – just 46 percent of Londoners believe the police do a good job in their local area. This is 10 percent below where it was 5 years ago.' One young person mentioned reportedly described their reluctance to report a crime to the police, 'saying they weren't sure if they would be treated as a victim or perpetrator. They described feeling 'powerless''. Peck said: 'I don't think you can get away from the fact that it's a very problematic relationship at times. 'We just see the consequences of it.' The VRU also claims success reducing school exclusions, and says children not in education are more likely to become involved in violence. Peck said: 'Whatever the cost to the taxpayer [of the VRU] we are saving the same or saving more.' Since the VRU started in 2019, homicide rates are down in the capital and its murder rate is now lower than Paris, Toronto, Manchester and Berlin, but higher than Rome and the West Midlands. Other crime types are increasing and London's VRU, largely funded by the mayor, is seen as a long term project for a decade or more. Key factors driving violence remain poverty, deprivation and alienation, with drugs a key factor – 56% of homicides between 2012/13 and 2017/18 in London were drug-related, according to the report. There is also an increase in the proportion of 10- to 14-year-olds suspected of violence.
The Herald Scotland
28-05-2025
- Politics
- The Herald Scotland
Are we going back to days when Glasgow was murder capital of Europe?
So, in relative terms, such crimes are far less common than they were in Scotland's past. That will, however, be cold comfort to the families of those who have been the victim of such terrible crimes. Read more As the spotlight falls, once again, on 'problematic youth' serious questions have been raised about how to deal with them. Immediate responses have inevitably turned to justice-based measures, such as increased use of police stop and search and harsher punishment for offenders to deter others. Other suggestions have included removing free bus passes and neighbourhood curfews. Evidence around the effectiveness of such measures is, however, severely lacking. Research has shown that focused stop and search activity in 'hot spot' areas can have short-term benefits, albeit the longer term effects are less certain and there is a risk of shifting the problem to other, neighbouring, areas. The evidence around using harsher punishments as a deterrent, quite frankly, doesn't stack up. While removing free bus passes and driving children off our streets will simply penalise the vast majority of young people who are law abiding and a credit to our society. There is no one universal explanation as to why Scotland experienced such a large fall in violence in recent decades. Some have placed the plaudits at the door of the police and, in particular, the Violence Reduction Unit (VRU), which was established in 2005 to tackle the problem of knife crime and homicide. The VRU certainly changed the narrative around violence in Scotland, recognising that it was a 'public health' problem that needed to be addressed by tackling the root causes. Most research evidence shows, however, that better education, rather than policing, is the key to reducing violence, and there has also been a great deal of educational work in Scottish schools and communities by organisations such as No Knives Better Lives and Medics Against Violence. The Scottish Tories have called for the police to be given more stop and search powers (Image: free) More widely however, there has been a policy shift since the election of the SNP government in 2007, when the introduction of the Getting It Right for Every Child policy started to shift the language from 'problematic children' towards 'child wellbeing'. Since then, we have seen a whole raft of new policies aimed at improving children's outcomes, such as reducing child poverty, narrowing the education gap, earlier and more effective intervention, and reducing the reliance on justice responses to offending. As a consequence, the number of children entering the justice system is at a record low and we no longer send children to prison in Scotland. And yet, we cannot ignore the recent headlines nor minimise the significant impact of youth violence on those who fall victim to it. So, despite all the progress made, what has gone wrong? Recent research shows that, while great strides have been made, there are still many children who are exposed to a whole range of factors that increase their likelihood of engaging in violence and other crimes. Despite the Scottish Government's targets, persistent child poverty has not diminished. The cost of living crisis is affecting many low income households – especially those with children – creating strain and diminishing the capacity of parents to monitor their children's activities. Housing and homelessness are acute problems, and some communities are subject to significant churn and change which destabilise neighbourhoods and reduce the scope for self-governance. The education gap between those at the highest and lowest ends of the deprivation spectrum has not narrowed. Rates of mental health and neurodiversity diagnoses have increased, but levels of service provision cannot keep up. Negative social media influences run rampant in the lives of our young people, but 'safe spaces' in communities where they could be supported and mentored by people in the real world have been stripped away as a consequence of austerity. Lurking below all of this, is the spectre of serious and organised crime. Many children who carry weapons and get involved in serious violence are victims of exploitation at the hands of criminal gangs who use them to deal and transport drugs and other illicit items. Their youth and vulnerability make them perfect agents to do the dirty work of those who sit back and reap the rewards. Read more In some regards, it is not unusual to see such a spike in violence during periods of good weather when young people congregate on beaches and other beauty spots towards the end of the academic year. However, a cluster of very serious incidents, along with rising concern about anti-social behaviour in communities and schools, is a worrying trend. We should be reassured that Scotland has the structures and mechanisms in place to deal with such incidents in a sensitive, holistic, and trauma-informed way. However, whether it has the capacity and resource to do so is another matter. A policing response is inevitably required to dampen down the immediate issues and to tackle the scourge of serious and organised crime; however, as a society, we all have a part to play in making society safer. A collective response is needed from public and third sector organisations to ensure early and effective intervention amongst those whose behaviour is at risk of escalating into serious violence. The private sector could play a greater role in supporting and investing in our most deprived communities, and partner with local government in sponsoring the return of youth facilities and safe spaces for children and young people. And the general public should not tolerate or be bystanders to violence, ignoring or walking away when we could take steps to discourage, prevent or even, when safe to do so, intervene. Let us remember that the vast majority of children in Scotland are good, law-abiding citizens who contribute positively to society – with a holistic approach, we can surely turn the tide on the small minority who are causing serious harm, just as we did 20 years ago. Susan McVie is Professor of Quantitative Criminology, University of Edinburgh
BBC News
09-04-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Mayor invests £1m in sports during holidays to reduce youth crime
The mayor of London has announced a £1m year-long investment into sports activities during school holidays, in an attempt to divert youngsters from Sadiq Khan's funding will start at Easter and support almost 2,000 Londoners at up to 20 community-led projects, working in partnership with his Violence Reduction Unit (VRU).It follows a similar initiative last year, when research from the mayor's office for policing and crime found violence affecting young people traditionally peaks in the Metropolitan Police confirmed last week that budget shortfalls mean 1,700 officers, PCSOs and staff posts will be cut, including officers stationed in schools. 'Invest in prevention' According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), the mayor said prevention and positive opportunities would be more effective than trying to "arrest the way out of this issue".Last year, the mayor announced a £2m investment package in activities which he said would divert thousands of young people away from violence over the summer Sadiq's office said the funding would provide internships for young people at major sporting organisations such as the Lawn Tennis Association, GB Snowsport and Formula E. 'Preventable, not inevitable' Alongside funding for holiday provision, the LDRS said the mayor's investment in sport over the next year would support a further 1,000 young people who may struggle with the transition from primary to secondary school, by providing them with access to a trusted director Lib Peck said sport and physical activity play "hugely important roles", providing opportunities to develop skills, teamwork and access to positive role models in coaches and youth added that providing positive activities for young people "is critical to tackling violence and whilst our work is having impact, it's clear there is more to do. "We're committed to working in partnership across London to keep young people safe because we believe violence is preventable, not inevitable."
