Complacency threatens progress on youth violence

In the final report of the London Serious Youth Violence Board (LSYVB), which completed its two-year remit last month, chair Will Tuckley said more needs to be done to address the issue.

In 2010 there were 20 teenage homicides, down from 29 in 2008. However, the 2010 figure was up from 15 in 2009 and last year 6,722 young people in London were victims of serious violence, up three per cent on 2009.

Tuckley said one of the greatest threats to tackling serious youth violence in the future is complacency and/or being drawn away from focusing on this priority by other pressures.

He added that recommendations outlined in the report, drawn up from research and initiatives carried out over the past two years, represent "a chapter in a continuing story".

"Our aim and hope is that legacy partners and other stakeholders pick up the baton and continue to respond positively and coherently to the challenges ahead," he said.

Recommendations made in the report include the importance of information-sharing between local authorities and agencies including the police and NHS.

In addition, schools are warned of the potential risks of excluding children and placing them in a pupil referral unit, with the suggestion that restorative approaches being used in schools could lead to improved behaviour.