Youth knife crime scheme launched in Thames Valley
The scheme 'Act Now' is aimed at young people arrested for knife crime
Last updated 9th Dec 2024
Delivered by Youth Justice Services under an early intervention pathway called Act Now, the Operation Deter Youth programme works by drastically speeding up the time that Youth Offending Services make contact with under-18s that have been arrested for weapon and violence offences to just 90 minutes after notification of arrest.
A home visit is also completed within 48 hours of a child leaving custody.
Earlier this year, Police and Crime Commissioner, Matthew Barber committed £900,000 of funding to expand the programme following successful pilots in Milton Keynes and Slough.
The rollout will see all nine Youth Justice Services delivering the Act Now pathway which will be available in every Thames Valley Police custody suite. The first new area to go live is Wokingham which launched in early November with each Youth Justice Service expected to be delivering the programme by the end of spring 2025.
The rollout also includes an expansion of eligible offences with the inclusion of all other weapon offences, violence, and robbery in addition to all knife-enabled and knife-possession offences.
Fast-tracked
Matthew Barber, Police and Crime Commissioner said:
“Early intervention and prevention activity to stop children being drawn into crime is key to tackling knife crime and violence and addressing the culture of knife carrying.
“The Op Deter Youth programme aims to look at the root causes of offending. It uses fast-tracked processes to increase the levels of engagement children have with youth justice services, breaking the cycle of offending, and improving future safeguarding opportunities by determining if they are being exploited.
“I am pleased that all Youth Justice Services have signed up to deliver the programme and are in the process of implementation. The rollout together with the expansion of eligible offences will help to divert increasing numbers of children away from the Criminal Justice System and deliver safer streets across our communities.”
Interventions include Speech, Language and Communication Needs (SLCN) assessments, education, training and employment support, mental health support, conflict resolution without violence and aggression and support for parents and carers.
The programme has been running as a pilot in Milton Keynes since January 2023 and in Slough since March 2023. The pilots have seen positive results with data from November 2023 showing a 6% reoffending rate from 100 children engaged in the programme compared to a national average of between 25 – 30%. An independent evaluation of the scheme will be completed by March 2025.