Translating policy priorities into practice

At this year’s Labour and Conservative party conferences, Catch22 hosted events exploring practical approaches to tackling youth violence. An issue that has gained public attention off the back of increasing knife crime and renewed importance after the riots that broke out in the summer. Despite the increasingly tough-on-crime rhetoric of politicians, at our events, one consistent message emerged: adding more police officers is not the answer. The word holistic has become a cliché in this policy area for good reason: it is essential to making lasting change.

Nobody would argue that we don’t need visible police to help people be and feel safe, but simply increasing the number of police officers doesn’t address the root causes of the problem. Youth violence is often a symptom of deeper issues such as family breakdown, educational exclusion, and mental health challenges. For instance, a family breakdown can lead to a lack of parental guidance; educational exclusion can result in a lack of opportunities and mental health challenges can lead to impulsive behaviour.