Young people in police custody are set to benefit from a new support intervention to help prevent further crime, thanks to funding secured by PCC Kim McGuinness’ Violence Reduction Unit.

A ‘teachable moment’ is a point at which an individual will be more accepting to the offer of support. Therefore, the Northumbria Violence Reduction Unit are working in partnership with Northumbria Police, Edge North East and Family Gateway to reach young people through this innovative intervention.

The service aims to intervene and prevent young people from becoming further involved in serious violence by treating the point a young person comes into custody as a teachable moment.

The funding, secured from the Home Office Serious Violence Interventions Fund, will enable support workers to approach young people in police custody with a primary focus on 10-17 year olds; building trusting relationships and providing ongoing support in the community.

The support offered beyond custody will focus on what is important to the young person including developing positive improvements in; key emotional, physical, and vulnerable behaviours that will support a sustainable move away from serious violence and exploitation.

Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner Kim McGuinness said: “By delivering teachable moments interventions to young people at risk or involved in serious violence, we have the potential to prevent them from heading down future paths of criminality. Through the work of my Violence Reduction Unit, young people will be able to benefit from this support as we aim to reduce serious violence, repeat offending and vulnerability in our region. It is vitally important that we continue to educate and support our young people to enable them to make positive decisions for the future.”

Northumbria Police Assistant Chief Constable, Neil Hutchison said: “We are committed to working with partners to look at longer-term solutions to reducing crime, ensuring we make the most of opportunities to prevent future offending and to protect vulnerable individuals and communities. Where appropriate, we would always seek alternative means of addressing offending by young people rather than arresting and bringing them into custody. However, where this is necessary, custody is a key ‘teachable moment’ and the inclusion of support to young people from this intervention will complement some of the existing work already under way with partners.”

Edge North East Managing Director, Collette Devlin-Smith said: “Edge North East are excited to be part of this innovative project that will provide much needed intervention at that crucial teachable moment with young people. We look forward to working with all partners involved in this project to make a difference to young people’s lives and their families’ lives.”

Family Gateway Chief Executive Officer, Julie Marriott said: “Family Gateway are proud to be working with young people and their families at a critical point in their lives, a point where a Teachable Moment may provide a gateway to different choices leading to a brighter future.  We look forward to working with our partners, young people and their families within this innovative and exciting project.”

For more information on the ‘teachable moments’ intervention, please contact the Northumbria Violence Reduction Unit by email vru@northumbria-pcc.gov.uk

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Young people will have an exciting opportunity to bid for projects and activities as Police and Crime Commissioner Kim McGuinness launches the Local Youth Fund.

With £18,000 available and up to £500 per project, young people can bid for activities that matter to them with the aim of preventing crime by reducing serious violence and vulnerability in their area.

The PCC’s Violence Reduction Unit are working with North East Youth Alliance, to ensure young people across the region are aware of this fantastic opportunity as well as establishing a youth panel to review applications and provide their recommendations throughout the process.

Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner, Kim McGuinness said: “We want young people to tell us what they want in their area and through the work of my Violence reduction Unit we can provide the opportunity to bring their projects to life with the Local Youth Fund.”

The Local Youth Fund will open on Monday 16^th August and welcomes applications from young people across the North East, supported by a registered youth organisation.

Ms McGuinness added: “It is vitally important that we engage our regions young people now to prevent them from heading down the wrong path and to ensure they have the right support and opportunities to make positive decisions for the future.”

On behalf of the North East Youth Alliance, NE Youth Chief Executive Jon Niblo said: “We are delighted to working collaboratively with the Violence Reduction Unit to ensure that Young People are involved in the development of this exciting new fund. The fund will enable Young People to develop their own local projects that make a real difference in their communities.”

Those who would like to take part can download the application form on the Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioners website. Applications must be submitted by Friday 10^th September and successful applicants will be contacted.

For more information on the Local Youth Fund, please contact the Violence Reduction Unit by email VRU@northumbria-pcc.gov.uk.

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Specialist knife-crime training is being carried out across the region to help teachers, nurses and other frontline staff steer young people away from violence.

Police Commissioner Kim McGuinness has rolled out the latest knife crime training designed to ensure young people at risk of gang-violence and criminality are spotted early and helped to turn their lives around.

The region’s only dedicated Violence Reduction Unit – set up by the Police Commissioner to prevent violent crime– has so far worked with more than 250 frontline key workers to better prepare them for supporting the region’s most vulnerable young people.

The Northumbria VRU sessions have so far been delivered in hospitals, schools, children’s homes, colleges and more, and see attendees taught the warning signs to look out, the services available to support those young people in need, and devastating impact just carrying a knife can have.

Praising the impact of the sessions, Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner Kim McGuinness said: “Taking this approach of preventing crime is so important, we absolutely cannot just arrest our way out of it. We need to better prepare staff to deal with vulnerable young people, and also give those same young people the knowledge to make positive life decisions”.

In addition to the sessions for professionals, the Commissioner’s VRU has also delivered knife crime awareness sessions to more than 3,400 young people this academic year.

Kim added: “Some of the staff that have attended the training see these young people at their most vulnerable moment – whether that be in an A&E department, or a custody suite – moments where these professionals can have a real chance to connect with the young person.

“No one should ever be carrying or using a knife, but unfortunately, there are incidents where we see this behaviour occur. Now those first responders will have the confidence and knowledge to help divert those involved in this lifestyle to the excellent services locally. We can break the cycle of violence.”

Those often first on scene or responding to a knife incident, including A&E doctors, as well as paediatrics staff from the Great North Children’s Hospital, have been just some of the staff involved in the knife crime awareness sessions.

Caroline Grayson, Consultant Paediatrician and Designated Doctor for Safeguarding Children at Newcastle Hospitals said: “We have been delighted with the response from the VRU team who have been delivering training in relation to knife crime and gang activity to staff across the organisation and in particular targeting staff in the emergency department and trauma team.

Such training helps our staff identify potential victims of knife crime who may not initially divulge the exact cause of their injuries when they present. It is hoped that with the appropriate approach and sensitive questioning, staff can make sure that any victim of knife crime receives the support they require.

In addition to the teaching sessions, we are hoping that we will soon be able to access support from dedicated youth workers in the Emergency Department working in close collaboration with the VRU and Edge North East team. This exciting initiative will ensure that any individual accessing our Emergency Department who is a victim of knife crime can receive immediate professional help and support.”

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Nick Thomas-Symonds, the Shadow Home Secretary, has visited Tyneside to see how the region’s police commissioner Kim McGuinness is preventing crime and serious violence amidst Government funding uncertainty. 

Northumbria’s Police & Crime Commissioner welcomed the Labour frontbencher as the pair called on the Government to commit to long term funding for crime prevention and youth services.

The call comes following devastating cuts totalling a near 75% funding reduction in services for young people across the Northumbria force area since 2011.

The MP visited several youth interventions which currently receive funding from the PCC to prevent crime and offending across the region.

Northumbria’s Police and Crime Commissioner set out the challenges local services are operating under. Kim said: “We’ve made some real progress in fighting crime and preventing crime, but until the Government back a long-term approach with the necessary funding, we will never deliver sustainable change.”

“Because of the short-term funding that Government hands down, we can only provide ad-hoc support and it is ultimately the young people who lose out when a project or programme has to come to an end after so many months.”

“It is time for the Government to stand up and give the youth sector the support they have stripped them of.”

On his visit to Gateshead and Newcastle, the Shadow Home Secretary was shown a range of crime preventing projects ranging from in school education to one to one mentoring and family support work.

Praising the work showcased, but echoing the Commissioners call for sustainable funding, the MP said:

“The work that is being done, across Northumbria by Kim as the Labour Police and Crime Commissioner is fantastic. Kim’s focus on preventing crime, and its causes in conjunction with organisations showcases why these services are so important.

“This Conservative Government’s cuts have done huge damage to community policing across the country, putting safety at risk, whilst their cuts to youth services have been devastating.

“In the face of this challenge Kim is doing important work with the community and local police to inspire young people and divert them from a life of crime.”

Labours shadow minister also had the opportunity to receive a tour of NUCASTLE, the soon to be new home of Newcastle United Foundation (NUF), one of the organisations currently being funded by the Commissioner to improve the lives of vulnerable young people.

While visiting the new site, the MP was introduced to a participant from the Foundation’s YOLO programme, a youth mentoring scheme delivered by NUF that sees staff work one on one with young people in a bid to prevent them falling into a life of crime.

The flagship programme, which supports those young people who may otherwise become involved in serious violence, County Lines or other types of offending, is a partnership between the Commissioner, Northumbria Police and the regions two Football Foundations – Newcastle & Sunderland.

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An anti-social behaviour busting partnership with engagement at its core has been shortlisted for two prestigious awards.

Project Vita, a joint initiative between Northumbria Police and North Tyneside Council sprang into life in early 2020 with the aim of steering youth away from trouble and offering them confidence boosting opportunities to build life skills, while reducing ASB in the areas of Wallsend and Howden.

A key focus for the project is to engage with young people who are out in the community gathering in large numbers and perceived to be ‘intimidating’, approach those groups and start to build dialogue to find out what they are doing, why they are there and what and what they would like to see provided for young people.

These engagements also provide opportunities to identify any vulnerable young people to be able to offer support and advice at the earliest opportunity.

The project also received generous funding to the tune of £130,000 from Police and Crime Commissioner Kim McGuinness.

Half of the grant was used to convert unused space in a council customer contact centre in Wallsend into a base for local police, youth workers and community protection officers to work from.

The neighbourhood policing team moved  from their headquarters on the outskirts of town to the base early this year and have praised the multi-partnership approach.

And, the other half of the funding is being channelled into projects to reduce youth-related crime and ASB with teams providing more out-of-hours and weekend outreach support in the community.

Just 18 months on, the project has now been shortlisted by the Association of Public Service Excellence (APSE) for two awards – Best Community and Neighbourhood Initiative and Best Collaborative working Initiative.

Judges will make a decision on the national winners later this month.

The Local Government Association have also highlighted the project as a model of best practice.

Inspector Tom Hart who leads the neighbourhood policing team, said: “The move to Wallsend town centre and working side-by-side with colleagues from the council has seen a huge change to how we can engage with the community and in particular the area’s young adults.

“That joined up approach to tackling youth disorder means there’s more emphasis on not just curbing ASB but understanding the root causes and how we can change attitudes, all while reaching out to some of the most vulnerable children in the area.

He added: “It’s great to see that the project has been shortlisted for two awards and recognised nationally by the Local Government Association.”

Feedback from the teens revealed they wanted to have a safe space to meet up with friends and have that space to just hang out.

A suitable community venue was identified and opened out of normal hours so that there was an area exclusively for young.

The pandemic unfortunately saw a stop to the drop in sessions but there are plans in place for them to return.

Councillor Carole Burdis, Cabinet Member for Community Safety and Engagement at North Tyneside Council, said: “The success of this initiative so far is down to the hard work and dedication of our community protection staff, the police and other community partners.

“Together, we are working to tackle antisocial behaviour at the root, and engaging with young people to help them understand the consequence of their actions and make more positive decisions in future.

“North Tyneside is one of the safest place in the country to live, work and visit, and initiatives such as Project Vita play a big part in maintaining that. I am very proud of everyone involved in the project for being shortlisted and I wish them further success in the awards.”

Police and Crime Commissioner McGuinness added: “Tackling ASB is a priority for local residents and it is a priority for me. There is still much work to be done to make sure everyone feels at ease in their neighbourhood, but with projects such as this we are showing that change can happen.

“I’m grateful to Northumbria Police and others for the hard work they have put in to make this scheme a success.

“As your police commissioner I am committing to supporting our police to fight crime and working with others to prevent crime, and a key part if that is talking to young people and telling them there is an alternative available if they want to work with us.”