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11 March 2009
The government has committed to spend an extra £5m to tackle knife crime, and to target the minority of young people who commit the most serious violence.
The new funding will be used to extend the government’s Tackling Knives Action Programme (TKAP) for another year, and to include two new police force areas: Kent and Hampshire. Maintaining this targeted approach to knives and serious youth violence is part of a wider plan to crack down on the small minority of young people who commit violent crime.
Recently published NHS data for 2007-08 (which pre-dates TKAP), showed an 8% reduction in the overall number of admissions to hospital for assault by sharp object. Provisional Home Office TKAP management information shows that since June 2008, police have conducted more than 150,000 stop-and-searches, and seized 3000 knives.
The Home Secretary also announced that Keith Bristow, Chief Constable of Warwickshire Police and Association of Chief Police Officers’ (ACPO) lead for violence and public protection, will lead TKAP as it moves into the next phase.
Now that the programme is developing a broader focus across the wider ACPO violence and public protection portfolio, he will take over from Deputy Assistant Commissioner Alf Hitchcock who is taking up a new position at the National Police Improvement Agency
Statement from the Prime Minister
Prime Minister Gordon Brown said, “Knife crime and all forms of serious youth violence damage communities, destroy lives, and rob families of hope. It is completely unacceptable and we will not stand by.
'We will continue to take tough action - across police work, tougher sentencing, and also stronger prevention - to make our streets safer and send a clear message to the minority of young people involved in violence that they will not get away with it.'
Statement from the Home Secretary
Home Secretary Jacqui Smith said, 'We all need to stand shoulder to shoulder to get knives off our streets and protect young people from knife crime.
'In the past ten months we have stepped up action to tackle knife crime. Across the Tackling Knives Action Programme areas, police have conducted more than 150,000 stop-and-searches, and seized 3000 knives since June. Nationally, we have provided 1150 extra search arches and wands to help forces to take knives off the streets and reassure the public.
'By continuing this targeted programme of action and extending the remit to include 13 to 24 year olds, I want to make it clear that I am committed to tackling the core minority of young people who persist in committing serious violence. Alongside our £100m Youth Crime Action Plan (new window) we aim to prevent young people getting involved in crime in the first place and stop them re-offending if they do.
'I am very pleased that Keith Bristow has agreed to take the next stage of this project forward and am very grateful for all the work undertaken by Alf Hitchcock.'
Statement from ACPO
Chief Constable of Warwickshire Police and ACPO lead on violence and public protection Keith Bristow said, 'The numbers of young people who commit or are victims of serious violent crime are, thankfully, small. However, the impact on those involved can be highly significant.
'In some areas we have seen worrying trends, in terms of both younger offenders and victims, together with a marked increase in severity of offending.
'The Tackling Knives Action Programme has provided a framework for intensive action over the last year and has led to real progress, not only in the ten areas involved in the programme but in other forces too.
'Alongside the Tackling Knives Action Programme, ACPO has been working to coordinate the police service response to violence in all its forms, and the time is now right to expand our approach. It is absolutely vital that, working across all agencies which come into contact with young people, we will robustly challenge those who commit serious violence and support those who are likely to become victims of such offending.'
Statement from the government’s special envoy
The government’s special envoy for tackling knife crime and youth violence and co-chair of the No to Knives National Coalition Richard Taylor said, 'It is important that communities stand united to fight the existence of knife-related crimes, and we welcome the extension of TKAP. We thank Mr Hitchcock for all of his hard work and welcome Mr Bristow.
'The carrying of a knife must be dealt with by enforcement. Preventing the carrying of knives comes through education. It is for this reason that the TKAP structure should be extended.
'As knife envoy and co-chair of the national knife coalition I will focus on building communities to stand together to prevent young people from becoming victims or from getting involved in knife crime.
'It is a challenge that I personally have no choice but to pursue and my team and I will travel to all these TKAP areas persuading communities to stand shoulder-to-shoulder on this issue, to prevent another death of a young person.'
Statement from the Chief Constable of Hampshire Police
Chief Constable of Hampshire Police (one of the new TKAP forces) Alex Marshall said, 'Hampshire Constabulary is pleased to join the TKAP. A lot has been achieved by the programme over the last year and I hope to see some of the benefits across our two counties.
'Intervention at younger ages give the police service a valuable opportunity to divert young people away from crime, which will pay dividends for years to come.'
Notes to editors
- The government is also working with the Youth Justice Board (new window) to extend knife crime prevention programmes to all TKAP areas so that young people caught carrying knives, or involved in knife related crimes, understand the potential consequences of their actions. So far, 220 young people have entered the scheme. This represents 100% of those who were required to attend as a condition of their order.
- TKAP launched in June 2008 with ten forces - London, Essex, Lancashire, West Yorkshire, Merseyside, West Midlands, Greater Manchester, Nottinghamshire, South Wales and Thames Valley. In November four more were added as second tier forces - Bedfordshire, Northumbria, South Yorkshire and British Transport Police. We have now extended it to include Kent and Hampshire.
- Figures on sentencing outcomes and number of people in prison relating to possession of an offensive weapon will be published by the Ministry of Justice (new window) on 12 March 2008. NHS admissions data ‘Publication of 2007-08 hospital episode statistics for England: assault by sharp object’ were published on 25 February 2008. Figures are provisional and subject to revision.
- Since June 5, 2008, TKAP has focused more than £5m on rapid, concentrated work in ten areas of the country to tackle teenage knife crime. TKAP is sending out a clear message that if someone carries a knife, they are more likely to get caught, prosecuted and receive a tough punishment. It has also accelerated educational programmes and diversionary activity to stop young people becoming involved in knife crime in the first place, and reassured the public that we are doing all that we can to keep knives off our streets, with high visibility enforcement activity to back this message up.
- The Youth Crime Action Plan (new window) is a £100 million package of measures tackling youth crime through a comprehensive plan of early prevention, non-negotiable support and tough enforcement.
- For more information call Home Office press office on 020 7035 3535.
Quotes from current TKAP forces
Greater Manchester Police
Acting Deputy Chief Constable Ian Seabridge, Greater Manchester Police, said, 'GMP are eager to reduce all forms of violent crime, particularly those involving weaponry. The Tackling Knives Action Programme has featured significantly in shaping our actions to reduce the risks of such crime and we will continue to share and learn from good practice across the country. Phase 2 is a welcome contribution to the work we are doing with our partners and communities.'
South Wales Police
Assistant Chief Constable David Morris, South Wales Police, said, 'The involvement of South Wales Police in the TKAP project has brought huge benefits. It has enabled us to share best practice with colleagues across the UK and develop strategies and tactics to target the very real emerging threat of youth related, knife-enabled street crime.
'For example, by conducting a knife hand-in across the force area and with the support of local media, we recovered over 700 knives during a four-week period which have since been destroyed.
'Through a blend of education, engagement and enforcement techniques, we are determined to continue to develop these sustainable methods to reassure our communities and keep South Wales safe.
'We continue to support an educational weapons and safety input for young people via the All Wales Schools Core Programme and have also achieved a reduction in serious violent crime.
'As such, we very much look forward to our continued involvement in the TKAP project over the next year.'
Lancashire Police
Superintendent Richard Spedding, TKAP lead for Lancashire Police, said, 'Being part of TKAP has allowed Lancashire Constabulary to work with other partners such as youth offending, the ambulance service and children’s services to educate young people in the dangers of carrying and using knives.
'We have done this in a variety of different ways such as inputs at schools, interventions with young people in vulnerable areas and the use of the national Crimestoppers texting campaign.'
Merseyside Police
Superintendent Mike Cloherty, Merseyside Police, said, 'Merseyside Police has taken an active role in the TKAP programme over the past 12 months and the force is keen to maintain its involvement.
'Throughout the last year officers on Merseyside have been contributing to the national development of best practise to tackle knife crime, through the TKAP programme.
'As part of the force's total war on crime, Merseyside Police will continue to identify those involved in knife crime and knife crime will be a regular target for our total policing operations.
'In the past 12 months, knife-detecting arches have become a regular feature around licensed premises in both the city centre and town centres throughout the force. They have proved to be a successful tool in our fight against knife crime and we will continue to look at other ways to tackle the problem.'
