Sadiq Khan announces plans to boost youth work numbers in London
Adam Offord
Monday, December 5, 2016
More youth workers will be employed across London as part of efforts to tackle knife crime, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has said.
??Khan's draft policing and crime plan for London reveals that a strategy to tackle knife crime among young people will be produced and implemented in the new year.
The document outlines plans to invest in specialist services focusing on advocacy, mentoring and specialist health, as well as housing and employment support in a bid to intervene and support young people caught up in gangs and violence.??
"We will continue to fund and expand the support to victims of knife, gang crime and child sexual exploitation in London hospitals; increasing our youth worker provision, maximizing the power and value of this ‘teachable moment' and improving referrals to mainstream and specialist services," it says. ??
"The extension of this programme support into key accident and emergency departments in London will support young people with more minor injuries to access support earlier."
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Khan had previously announced his intention to produce a knife crime strategy in the run up to the Mayoral election earlier this year.?
Other proposed commitments for "keeping children and young people safe" include a review of the Metropolitan Police Service approach to gang crime and a proposal to work with the Met and local authorities to reduce the arrest and charge rates of looked-after children.
??In addition, it has been proposed that two "child houses" are commissioned to provide investigative, medical and emotional support in one place to victims of sexual violence.
??"These facilities will offer investigative, medical and emotional support in one place, removing the need for young victims to go through the repeated trauma of giving their statement several times to different agencies, and improving the likelihood of perpetrators being brought to justice for their crimes," the plan adds.
A 12-week public consultation on the draft plan is now under way and ends on 23 February 2017. The final plan will be published at the end of March. ?
Khan said: "This draft plan aims to build trust and confidence in policing and criminal justice for everyone. ??
"This plan signals a step change in efforts to protect the most vulnerable Londoners, and I want to encourage everyone to feed into our public consultation and help us make sure we are providing for them."
?Claire Hubberstey, chief executive of Safer London, said: "The Mayor's priorities for London chime with Safer London's values. ??
"We also know that young people experiencing issues such as sexual exploitation or knife crime need tailored, victim-centred support, and I look forward to working with the Mayor to ensure that the delivery of the police and crime plan keeps Londoners and their safety at heart."
