The programme will be rolled out from May this year to August 2025, across Coventry, Nottingham, Leicester, Manchester and Wolverhampton. The strategy has been funded by a Home Office £3m investment and £4m from the Youth Endowment Fund (YEF).
Young people over the age of 14 involved in or at risk of becoming involved in violence will be identified and offered targeted support, using an approach called focused deterrence – which YEF research found to have a 33 per cent effectiveness rate in reducing crime.
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The strategy, which was pioneered in Boston in the mid-1990s and used in Glasgow in 2008, draws on the collective resources of police, community organisations, health services, schools, colleges and probation services to provide tailored support to young people. This includes mentoring, education access, training and employment opportunities, mental health services, and housing advice.
Under this approach, if the offer of support is rejected and the young person’s violent behaviour continues, police and legal sanctions will be enforced.
Delivery will be led by the West Midlands Violence Reduction Partnership in Coventry and Wolverhampton; Nottingham City Council and Nottingham Violence Reduction Unit in Nottingham; the Violence Reduction Network in Leicester and the Greater Manchester Violence Reduction Unit in Manchester.
The University of Hull has been commissioned by the YEF to evaluate the programme’s effectiveness in reducing youth violence.
Policing minister Chris Philp said: “Focused deterrence is proven to reduce crime. This £7m programme will offer young people a route out, combining community support and mentoring to encourage them to seek help, as well as swift enforcement action to divert them away from violence.”
Jon Yates, executive director at the YEF, added: "Focused deterrence has worked around the world, reducing crime by over 30 per cent. It’s time to know whether it can work in England. Violence is not inevitable – we can bring it down. The important thing is not about being tough on crime or being soft on crime. The important thing is being smart on crime. We need to do what works.”
