Surgeons called upon to join fight against knife crime
Gemma Spence
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Surgeons should play a central role in reducing knife crime, according to the Metropolitan Police and the Surgical Foundation.
In a joint statement the Association of Surgeons of Great Britain and Ireland (ASGBI), the Metropolitan Police and the Surgical Foundation have set out a series of recommendations with the aim of improving partnership working between surgeons and police forces across the UK.
These include surgeons being involved in peer group education programmes involving schools, youth organisations and local police forces, and improved data sharing between emergency departments and community crime reduction partnerships to help identify where high-profile policing may be most effective.
Other recommended measures are that surgeons are trained to appreciate the forensic requirements of the criminal justice system by preserving evidence and that the ASGBI supports restrictions on access to alcohol in line with evidence that it can have a dramatic effect on violent behaviour in young people.
Following the announcement, which was made at The Management of Knife Injuries conference in London, a detailed consensus statement will be published and distributed within the NHS.
Assistant chief constable Sue Fish, the Association of Chief Police Officers’ lead on tackling knives and serious youth violence, described the news as "a significant step towards integrating health into crime and violence reduction".
She said: "The sharing of anonymised accident and emergency data with police forces and community safety partnerships is invaluable in identifying violent crime hot spots, and ensuring effective targeting and use of resources. It allows for a more complete picture of problem areas, as violent incidents are often not reported to the police.
"Such information-sharing arrangements have already been used to good effect, and it is hoped that this consensus agreement will provide impetus for more areas to adopt the same approach."
Public health minister Anne Milton said: "Health professionals treat victims of knife crime, and the intelligence they gain can and should be shared with police to prevent further crime and serious injuries to innocent people. More than 100 hospitals are already doing this, so by April next year we want to see all hospitals in England sharing anonymised data with police."
Milton added: "Violent crime devastates lives and destroys communities. By working together in this way, I am confident that we can reduce violent crime and make all our communities safer."
Annual hospital admissions due to knife assaults number more than 4,500 in England alone.
These include surgeons being involved in peer group education programmes involving schools, youth organisations and local police forces, and improved data sharing between emergency departments and community crime reduction partnerships to help identify where high-profile policing may be most effective.
Other recommended measures are that surgeons are trained to appreciate the forensic requirements of the criminal justice system by preserving evidence and that the ASGBI supports restrictions on access to alcohol in line with evidence that it can have a dramatic effect on violent behaviour in young people.
Following the announcement, which was made at The Management of Knife Injuries conference in London, a detailed consensus statement will be published and distributed within the NHS.
Assistant chief constable Sue Fish, the Association of Chief Police Officers’ lead on tackling knives and serious youth violence, described the news as "a significant step towards integrating health into crime and violence reduction".
She said: "The sharing of anonymised accident and emergency data with police forces and community safety partnerships is invaluable in identifying violent crime hot spots, and ensuring effective targeting and use of resources. It allows for a more complete picture of problem areas, as violent incidents are often not reported to the police.
"Such information-sharing arrangements have already been used to good effect, and it is hoped that this consensus agreement will provide impetus for more areas to adopt the same approach."
Public health minister Anne Milton said: "Health professionals treat victims of knife crime, and the intelligence they gain can and should be shared with police to prevent further crime and serious injuries to innocent people. More than 100 hospitals are already doing this, so by April next year we want to see all hospitals in England sharing anonymised data with police."
Milton added: "Violent crime devastates lives and destroys communities. By working together in this way, I am confident that we can reduce violent crime and make all our communities safer."
Annual hospital admissions due to knife assaults number more than 4,500 in England alone.
