As it heads into its fourth year, PCC Kim McGuinness’ Violence Reduction Unit has announced how it plans to ramp up its successful work that has seen a 30 per cent fall in young people re-offending across Northumberland, Tyne and Wear.

Last year, following lockdown and the re-opening of the night-time economy, serious violence increased by 27% but is starting to fall with figures showing a 9% reduction from November, and the Commissioner wants to see everything possible being done to keep pushing this figure down

The Violence Reduction Unit’s fourth year plan will work see it:

• use data and intelligence to target hotspot areas.
• work closely with the whole of the family of repeat offenders to tackle violence.
• build on community-based interventions and diversionary activities to reduce vulnerability and tackle offending.
• Educate young people on the dangers and consequences of violent crime to help prevent them becoming involved.

Since Kim McGuinness set up the Violence Reduction Unit in 2019, the force area has seen a continued fall in re-offending rates, with offences committed by young people showing the most significant drop of almost 30%.

Building on the positive work to date, the Violence Reduction Unit’s interventions continue to show impact with:

• 75% of those engaging in the custody diversion project have reduced involvement with the Criminal Justice System and plans to help keep out of trouble.
• 68% of young people on the YOLO programme have not offended since.
• 62% of those on the Employment and Women’s Pathways have not re-offended since.

Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner, Kim McGuinness said: “I’ve set out a clear commitment to fight poverty and to fight crime and the work of the Violence Reduction Unit is so crucial when it comes to preventing crime and improving the lives of those who are most vulnerable to exploitation.

“Sadly, where poverty is most prevalent we tend to see more victims of violence and that’s not fair – but we cannot just arrest our way out the problem. That’s where the Violence Reduction Unit comes in, helping people at risk of becoming a victim or becoming drawn into crime. A lot of the community and intervention work is about getting to the bottom of the underlying causes of serious violence. And we have a brilliant team who go into schools educate kids. This work, along with diversionary activities – the clubs, the sports, the mentors – it’s about showing people a life without crime”.

Northumbria Violence Reduction Unit Director, Steven Hume said: “The North East is a phenomenal place to live and work and we want to make sure it remains a safe place too. That is why we are taking such a radical approach to tackling violent crime and reducing the risks for those most vulnerable to exploitation, before issues we are seeing on a national scale become a problem here. We know that we can’t resolve issues overnight, which is why our plan is for the long-term, working collaboratively with our partners so that we can continue to identify areas in most need of action, engage with communities, provide diversionary activities and educate young people.

In a recent survey, Ipsos MORI found that for every £1 invested in Violence Reduction Units, £3 is saved to the public purse. The most recent local evaluation conducted on year 2 activities showed savings of £7.5 million per year.

For more information please contact the Northumbria Violence Reduction Unit by email vru@northumbria-pcc.gov.uk

POLICE COMMISSIONER BACKS NEW TARGETED DRUGS PROJECT AS STAGGERING HOSPITAL ADMISSION FIGURES REVEAL THE TRUE IMPACT OF ADDICITON

Police Commissioner Kim McGuinness has spoken of her pride at how Northumbria Police has taken £1m of illegal drugs off Newcastle’s streets in the past year, as staggering figures around drug and alcohol misuse across the city have been revealed.

Alarming numbers were shared at a conference this week highlighting the reality of addictions and show the North-East region has had the highest drug related death rate for the past few years.

Figures have also shown that between January and March this year, the North East Ambulance services reported 1218 alcohol-related call outs within the Newcastle Gateshead Clinical Commissioning Group alone.

Over the last year, Project Adder, an innovative project designed to tackle drug misuse, disrupt the supply chain, and topple the criminal groups profiting from the harm it causes, has been working in direct response to the city’s drug problems.

The project has brought Northumbria Police, Newcastle City Council, and local recovery services together and has marked its first year with very promising results.

As well as seizing £1m of illegal drugs successes include: 35 organised crime groups disrupted, 307 arrests and 1000 young people supported through harm reduction outreach work.

Addressing the room at the Project Adder Conference on Wednesday, Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner, Kim McGuinness, said: “To prevent crime, we must help those offending because of exploitation addiction and inequality. And to fight crime we must back our police who pursue these organised criminals who push drugs into our communities.

“There’s no two ways about it the numbers paint a very bleak reality – a crisis – and we have to get tough and throw everything we’ve got at this; we have to fight drug related crime head on, and we are. There really has been a lot of work going into getting this project off the ground and we are starting to see its impact.

“From £1m worth of class A drugs seized to more family support and recovery services available to those in need. These are wins that will benefit not just those struggling with addiction, but also the communities and residents of Newcastle who have to deal with the consequences of these untreated addictions.”

The Northumbria Violence Reduction Unit has announced today that it will continue to make an impact on reducing serious violence through a further investment of over £7 million in the next 3 years.

This builds on the positive work to date which has seen serious violence levels reduce with a 9% drop since November as well as hospital admissions caused by assaults with sharp objects down by 11.5% in Northumberland, Tyne and Wear.

The Violence Reduction Units funded interventions continue to show impact within our communities, notably:

• 75% of those engaging in the custody diversion project have reduced involvement with the Criminal Justice System and an action plan for the future.
• 68% of young people who engaged with the YOLO programme have not offended since exiting the intervention.
• 62% of those who complied with the Employment and Women’s Pathways have not re-offended since accessing the interventions.

As it embarks on its fourth year, the Violence Reduction Unit will continue to focus on providing community-based interventions in areas of most need, engaging young people to reduce their risk of being involved in crime and working with the whole family to tackle issues of violence.

Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner, Kim McGuinness said: “I have made a commitment to ‘Fight Poverty, Fight Crime’, as sadly, we know that large proportions of violence occur in areas where poverty is most prevalent. We cannot just arrest our way out the problem – instead we must address the underlying causes, educate young people and prevent individuals from re-offending. Through the Violence Reduction Unit we are committed to doing just that and with this guaranteed investment over the next 3 years; we can target more individuals at risk of becoming a victim or before they are drawn into crime”.

She added: “I will continue to lobby Government for vital funding that will allow us to truly make a difference in our region”.

Northumbria Violence Reduction Unit Director, Steven Hume said: “In order to tackle serious violence, you need to have a long-term strategy and this investment will provide us with some certainty over the next 3 years to continue delivering such vital work in our region. We are committed to reducing serious violence and vulnerability and have made significant progress to date but this is a long term approach and there is more work to be done. That is why we are taking such a radical approach in tackling the root causes of violent crime and addressing the offending behaviour of those causing the most disruption in our communities.

For more information, contact the Northumbria Violence Reduction Unit by email vru@northumbria-pcc.gov.uk

MANY kids who have a brush with the law are just bored, says Northumbria’s Police Kim McGuinness as she funds Easter break diversionary activities through her Operation Payback Scheme to help reduce the number of anti-social behaviour victims.

The Commissioner, who recently launched her ‘Fighting Poverty, Fighting Crime’ plan, has warned young people living in poverty in the North-East are especially vulnerable during school holiday times and that it can be the worst time for struggling families.

Inspire Youth in Tyne and Wear are one local organisation benefitting from Operation Payback – a fund Kim McGuinness launched to help grass root causes and support the work of Northumbria Police by re-investing cash seized from criminals back into local communities. The aim being to help prevent crime and reduce the number of ASB victims through-out the force area.

Using part of their £5,000 funding, Inspire Youth will be providing diversionary activities such as sport, games and art during the Easter holidays. The plans are being ran by two girls’ groups in Newbiggin and West Denton and are dedicated to tackling anti-social behaviour and substance misuse and encourage young people to get involved in positive activities.

Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner, Kim McGuinness, said: “Nobody wants trouble on their street, in the park or on the bus – it’s not acceptable – but the vast majority of people tell me they prefer to prevent ASB from happening, rather than handing out punishments when it does.

“Kids that go off the rails and land themselves in bother often do so as there aren’t other opportunities for them. The holidays are anything but a holiday for these kids, these families and so we need to be giving them things to do, things they enjoy and things that don’t have a hefty price tag – one family’s holiday is another family’s rent. Youth diversion activities like Inspire Youth are offering are the answer. They are exactly the type of thing I hoped Operation Payback would be able to help with when it launched last year.

“We have the two wonderful football foundations in our region too- The Foundation of Light and Newcastle United Foundation – I know they’re always great at having a busy line up of activities for young people during the holidays.

“We know ASB reports increase during the school holidays but the more we can give kids an alternative, the fewer victims of crime there will be. Juggling childcare or the supervision of teenagers when you’re trying to hold down a job to pay the bills when there is a cost of living crisis going on is no easy task. Knowing where your children are is sometimes not as simple as it sounds.

“Government needs to step up when it comes to youth services, not just during the holidays but all year round. If they won’t fund our police force properly to pick up the pieces when kids have got up to no good they need to give kids meaningful things to do with their time like sports and social clubs – anything to stop them being drawn into criminality.”

She added: “Sometimes, just having a free club to go to can make all the difference. Kids get bored. Those wandering the streets will often tell officers, they have nowhere to go, nothing to do. Well let’s give them something to do, to keep them busy, something to enjoy and where there are positive role models. We need youth services and to fight crime we need to fight poverty.”

Michelle Mitchell from Inspire Youth, said: “Through the funding from the PCC we have been able to set up and deliver Girl’s group sessions which are vital for our girls to give them a safe space where they are able to overcomes adversaries, traumas and many other issues whilst learning life skills, socialising, meeting new friends and having fun in a relaxed and calm environment.

“The PCC also supports the other sessions we deliver for young people which not only gives them a place where they have a voice, can be heard but it assists in the community through reducing ASB, breaking down barriers and enhancing the areas through the projects we deliver.

“Without funding our future generation would not have the opportunity to have youth sessions, learn vital life skills, socialise and get fed in safe and fun environments, they need sustainability and a place to go to where they can be young people.”

Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner Kim McGuinness has spoken out about rural poverty across the North East as she outlines how plans to tackle it will help reduce crime.

Highlighting the impact of austerity on rural communities, the Commissioner’s ‘Fighting Poverty, Fighting Crime’ Plan is the first Police and Crime Plan of its kind to focus on poverty.

The plan focuses on reducing crime through boosting jobs and youth opportunities for the region as a crucial way of supporting operational policing.

The new approach covers the whole force area – all of which is impacted by poverty, including the rural communities – from Gateshead in the south to Wooler in the north.

The plan follows recent reports revealing child poverty rates in the North East are higher than any other English region and are on the increase. Nearly a third of children growing up in the region live in poverty. In Northumberland the figure is one in five.

The police commissioner has also previously said it’s shameful that North East children have access to half as many youth clubs as rich kids in the South, describing such opportunities for young people as an investment in future crime prevention.

A report last year commissioned by the Rural Services Network also found that rural locations are missing out on cash from the government’s flagship Levelling Up Fund, a further cause of concern for the Commissioner.

Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner, Kim McGuinness, said: “Let’s not overlook austerity’s impact on rural communities. Poverty is poverty. It’s all terrible; child poverty, fuel poverty but rural poverty too. Whether you live in a flat or on a farm you can fall on hard times.

“Issues of poverty and disadvantage apply to our whole region. I know of farmers using food banks too. People think of Northumberland and they think of the idyllic views but we must not let that blind us to hardship or crime for that matter. Bus routes, youth clubs, libraries – they’ve taken hit after hit and this has consequences.

“And so I am making it my business to tackle deep-rooted poverty in our region, and that’s both urban and rural poverty, because for far too long Government has simply not cared; well I do.

“Crime and its effects hurt our region’s poorest the most and we can’t allow it. Far too many families aren’t living; they are surviving. And, it’s sad but it’s true, that more deprived an area, the more crime there is – I want there to be less victims of crime so we have to take this on. Reducing poverty is the place to start.

“Rural crime is often linked to Organised Crime Groups who target and exploit rural communities, particularly the vulnerable people living in them. I’m talking about a range of crimes from the theft of big expensive farming equipment to kids getting caught up in county lines.

“It goes without saying we need a well-resourced police force but we also need to give our children the best possible start in life. This has to be better than handing out punishments when they’re older. Any police officer will tell you we can’t arrest our way out of crime.”

“While criminals are likely to come from poorer backgrounds, this is not to say people who are poor are likely to be criminals. It does, however, make you more likely to be a victim of crime. This needs fixing.”

Put into practice the new ‘Fighting Poverty, Fighting Crime’ plan is about:

• Working with local businesses to grown job opportunities across the region – work is the most important way out of poverty.
• Work with public transport providers to ensure travel is affordable, reliable and also safe – without good transport links people can’t access opportunities.
• Funding positive youth initiatives – giving young people an alternative to anti-social behaviour and working with those who are the biggest risk to others.
• Supporting the whole family – commissioning services that not only support those on the cusp of crime but help the wider family to be more resilient.
• Building on existing education and intervention projects ran by the Violence Reduction Unit and Northumbria Police – to grow awareness and understanding around healthy relationships and knife crime.

Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner, Kim McGuinness, has called on local businesses to support colleagues suffering domestic abuse.

While hundreds of North East employees were signed up to domestic abuse champion training ran by the PCC’s office during the pandemic, she says more workplaces could be taking those suffering under their wing by having colleagues trained to sign-post them to support or to help make special arrangements to ensure they are safe.

At an online event held by the North East England Chamber of Commerce on what businesses can do to reduce violence against women and girls, the Commissioner raised the importance of education. However, she stressed education isn’t just a job for our schools and that awareness and understanding around domestic abuse often needs teaching to the grown-ups too.

She said that employers have a duty and responsibility to provide staff with a safe working environment and that businesses can, and should, be playing a vital role when it comes to recognising those at risk of domestic abuse or violence.

Following the event, Kim’s office was inundated with enquiries about the domestic abuse workplace champions’ scheme with enquiries from a range of sectors including engineering and childcare. As a result, her Violence Reduction Unit is now in the process of lining up a series of further online training opportunities, with more information available on the website –https://tinyurl.com/7zd9ndm5

Northumbria Police and Commissioner, Kim McGuinness, said: “For some staff, the workplace can be the only safe haven from the horrors of home – it offers escape, sanctuary and refuge. Just think what lockdown must have been like for these people. You see, victims of domestic abuse need help from employers, as well as the police. Colleagues are often the eyes and ears to it all.

“They might hear a partner shouting at a colleague on the end of a Teams call or someone saying they won’t be coming on the work night out simply because their husband won’t like it”, she explained.

“Colleagues might even be the person a victim turns to for help. This is why it’s so important to have staff that are aware and can give the right response. They know the best things to say and where to signpost them to.”

The Commissioner thanked organisations at the event who were already on board, taking a lead with making domestic abuse a workplace priority and invited other attendees recognising the need to do more to make contact with her office.

Kim added: “As well as duty of care and doing the right thing, it goes without saying that employers know that personal, “real life” problems affect job performance too, and that job performance affects the bottom line. And so making sure those around us – whether working in an office, a shop, a factory – are all equipped with the skills to talk about domestic abuse and know the appropriate action to take. It’s a win all round and a business that gets this right could, quite frankly, save a life.”

For more information please contact champions@northumbria-pcc.gov.uk