Young people who are involved in violence will be given a new opportunity to choose a positive alternative under a US-inspired programme rolling out in Manchester and Trafford.
Despite significant reductions in hospital admissions due to assault with a sharp object and homicides involving a knife in Greater Manchester in the past 12 months, we know that for a small but concerning number of young people, violence is a prominent part of their lives, some carry knives and some are in the criminal justice system for violent offences.
For these young people, we want to do even more to challenge their behaviour and find positive alternatives to violence. We recognise that these young people have often been victims of crime themselves and may have experienced adverse childhood experiences and trauma making them more vulnerable to exploitation.
The new programme, led by Greater Manchester Violence Reduction Unit (VRU) and co-funded by the Home Office and the Youth Endowment Fund (YEF), uses an approach known as ‘Focused Deterrence’. The approach was pioneered in Boston (USA) in the mid-1990s to address the escalation in serious violence and was also used effectively in Glasgow in 2008 to tackle issues with violence.
Focused Deterrence builds on the existing partnership work in tackling serious violence, and brings together the police, local councils, community organisations, health services, education and probation services. It works by identifying individuals (aged 14-years and over) in a local area who are involved in serious violence. Then by drawing on the community support and expertise of partners, individuals are offered tailored support that includes understanding the root causes of their behaviour. This could include mentoring, access to education, training and employment opportunities, mental health services, housing advice or other services that address underlying issues in their lives, relationships, or neighbourhoods. Individuals will be informed about the consequences of continuing to engage in serious violence and that they would be subject to stringent law enforcement procedures should they persist in offending.
Research, mainly from the US, has shown that – on average – Focused Deterrence strategies reduce crime by 33%.
The new initiative is part of a wider £7 million investment by the Home Office (£3 million) and the Youth Endowment Fund (£4 million) into Focused Deterrence strategies, with similar programmes being rolled out in four other English cities: Coventry, Nottingham, Leicester, and Wolverhampton.
Power2, a children and young people’s charity based in Greater Manchester, will deliver the programme in Manchester and Trafford. Delivery will start in July 2023 and continue until July 2025.
The impact of the programme will be monitored. Lessons learned from Greater Manchester VRU’s work will provide new insight into how Focused Deterrence programmes can be adapted and adopted to reduce violent crime in the UK.
Kate Green, Deputy Mayor for policing, crime, criminal justice and fire, said: “We are committed to doing all we can to stop violence and crime on our streets across Greater Manchester, and working with our partners to provide young people with positive alternatives.
“Recently we have seen incidents of violence reduce, but we know there is more work to do. The Focused Deterrence approach has proven to be effective in other parts of the UK and across the globe, and we welcome the roll out in Manchester and Trafford.
“The programme will be carefully monitored and assessed, and learnings will be used to further effective work in Greater Manchester and across the country.”
