In Coventry, police and key partners have met to together work on a long-term strategy to address the increase in violent crime – which will take ten years, police warn.
Senior officers gathered with representatives from Coventry City Council, the health service, education and charities, plus MPs and youth workers, at a Violence Summit yesterday. It heard that gangs may recruit children of below secondary school age, and make them carry out thefts from shops to bring them into criminality.
Coventry Police Commander, Chief Supt Mike O’Hara said his wants to create a taskforce comprising a range of agencies working to address the root causes of violence and intervening early in vulnerable people’s lives before they commit offences. The West Midlands Violence Prevention Alliance has adopted a public health approach to tackling violence that recognises policing alone cannot solve the problem.
A similar scheme was introduced by Police Scotland in Glasgow in 2005; and the Mayor of London last year set up a similar violence reduction unit.
Chief Supt O’Hara said: “Coventry has seen a near 20 per cent increase in violent crime – including domestic assaults – in the last 12 months. We can’t simply police our way out of this upturn in violent offences. What’s needed is a variety of services and whole communities working towards solutions. We want to divert young people away from crime by offering support at an early stage and better life opportunities.
“Our vision is to fundamentally change the way we look at and tackle violent crime in the city – and the pledge partners have made at the Summit is the first step on the way.”
Police say gangs are behind much of the violence. The main trouble hotspot was the city centre (pictured; Coventry bus station), due to the high density of licenced premises, police say; injuries ranged from cuts and bruises to serious woundings.
O’Hara stressed early intervention work with children, diverting them away from gangs. It’s an approach the force is taking elsewhere. He added: “Speaking directly to children in the city is vital; we understand young people may be worried about knife crime and gangs and we take their concerns seriously. The answer is certainly not to carry a knife themselves for protection as that increases, not decreases, the risk of becoming a victim.
Police have a £150,000 grant from the West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner to tackle youth crime in the city, and have applied for a further £350,000 through the national ‘Troubled Families’ fund. “So hopefully that’ll be half a million pounds we can use to try and address the root causes of youth violence. Getting into schools to talk frankly about the shocking consequences of knife possession and gang culture – as well as demonstrating alternative, positive life choices – is key to steering children away from crime.”
