PCC praises collaborative efforts to help protect children from violence

Police and Crime Commissioner, Donna Jones, has reiterated her commitment to tackling knife crime across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.

It comes as police forces across the country carry out a week of action, known as Operation Sceptre, which focusses on getting the weapons off our streets.

While latest figures from the Office of National Statistics show knife crime across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight has fallen by 27.6% over the last two years, the PCC admits more needs to be done.

That’s why she established a Violence Reduction Unit (VRU) which works alongside partner organisations to stop vulnerable young people being exploited into serious violence by organised criminal gangs.

The VRU estimates serious violence committed by under-18’s cost taxpayers across the two counties over £18 million in the last 12 months and it’s feared, without intervention, costs will continue to rise.

Donna Jones said: “It is reassuring to see the data around knife crime is showing good progress for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, but I still see young men being drawn into a world where they feel they have to carry a knife to be safe.

“This is where our focus must be. These children are highly vulnerable to exploitation.

“I am not advocating for a soft approach to children who commit serious harm but we need to understand what drives their behaviour and work together to challenge that.

“Often these children have not thrived in school and come from difficult backgrounds, with many experiencing trauma through neglect or violence.

“Those adults found exploiting young people should also expect to feel the full force of the law.”

Hundreds of thousands of pounds of PCC funding have been invested in a number of projects run by the VRU and local authority partners to address the influences that drive harm or offending; offering bespoke support while strengthening the protective networks around them.

Youth Justice and Children’s Services teams also work collaboratively with the police to identify and disrupt those who may be harming or exploiting young people.

Donna Jones added: “We must improve our information sharing.

“School teachers, social workers and health professionals hold key information about people at risk.

“Equally the police need to let other partners know when children are being drawn into exploitation and violence.

“As Police and Crime Commissioner, I want to ensure I fund projects which target those most at risk and the intervention offered meets their needs.

“Our joint response to children involved in violence must be bespoke and distinct from how we deal with adults if we are going to protect our communities going forward.”

Rob Henderson, Executive Director Wellbeing (Children & Learning) at Southampton City Council, said: “Safeguarding children who are vulnerable to exploitation and violence is one of Southampton City Council’s main priorities.

“That’s why we welcome the Police and Crime Commissioner’s funding.

“It enables us to work in partnership with the police and the Violence Reduction Unit to develop ways of collaborating and delivering the best support for our children.”

Superintendent Alex Charge from Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary said: “As a police service we understand that our response to children involved in serious violence must take into account what is happening in the child’s life.

“They are not adults and their treatment needs to reflect that.

“That’s why PCC funding of projects like Southampton’s ‘Future Directions’ programme allows us to work more closely with partners to make the city safer and prevent future risk to children.”

It can appear expensive to support vulnerable children but the cost of prevention is far outweighed by the savings that can be achieved.

The Violence Reduction Partnership publishes an annual report of how agencies work together and how funding is used to prevent serious violence. Find out more here – Useful Documents – Hampshire Police and Crime Commissioner

For more information about the work of the Violence Reduction Unit and Violence Reduction Partnership, click here.