Schools across the region are set to receive new guidance on how they can effectively respond to an incident should a knife or offensive weapon be brought onto school grounds.

As part of an on-going commitment to tackling knife crime and ensuring the safety of students and teachers, the Northumbria Violence Reduction Unit, Northumbria Police and local councils have come together to develop this vital guidance for schools.

The guidance was a welcome step at the recent Newcastle community safety meeting, and follows early work from South Tyneside Council, which has been adapted for use across the region to ensure teachers know how to respond if a bladed weapon is found on school premises.

Within the guidance, further information is provided on safely searching a young person suspected of carrying a knife, how to record the incident and when to contact the police.

The guidance also takes a preventative approach by looking to establish why an individual may be carrying a knife and if there are any underlying concerns or risks to address in order to prevent serious and violent crime.

This comes as part of the Violence Reduction Unit’s wider work to educate young people on the impact and consequences of knife crime through its dedicated education team, as well as its Student Support Champions currently working with pupils in Newcastle secondary schools.

Speaking about the new guidance for schools, Director of the Northumbria Violence Reduction Unit, Steven Hume said: “This comprehensive guidance provides a unified approach to addressing incidents involving knives should they be brought into schools, whilst also focusing on prevention and support for those involved. It is essential to equip schools with the tools and knowledge they need to respond to an incident if one were to occur, however no one should be feel the need to carry a knife. The roll out of the guidance is a very important step in tackling knife crime, which will see it sit alongside the wider work of the Violence Reduction Unit and our partners.”

Cllr Paula Maines, Cabinet member for a Resilient City at Newcastle City Council, said: “The safety and wellbeing of pupils and staff at schools is of paramount importance to us. The new guidance is part of our on-going commitment to tackle knife crime and ensures schools have the tools to respond to incidents in a safe and effective manner. We remain committed to working with partners to ensure our schools and communities continue to be safe places where young people can thrive and reach their full potential.”

Chief Superintendent Joanne Park-Simmons, of Northumbria Police, said: “Tackling knife crime is a priority for the Force and we all have a role to play in highlighting the devastation knife crime can cause. A huge amount of work is ongoing with partners to prevent people getting involved in this type of offending, including with schools to educate young people about the dangers of carrying weapons. As ever, we would ask families to continue having those conversations about the potentially fatal and irreversible consequences that carrying a knife can have.”

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

As young people across the region head back to school, they will now understand the heart-breaking reality of carrying a knife as Police Commissioner Kim McGuinness’s Violence Reduction Unit ramps up its education programme in a bid to tackle knife crime.

Through providing interactive sessions to thousands of children, the unit’s dedicated Education Team will focus on addressing why young people might carry a knife, the law and consequences around knife crime, dispelling any myths and looking at the advice and support available.

This comes as the Violence Reduction Unit launched its hard-hitting Knives Impact Everyone campaign last month, aimed at making young people think before picking up a knife by understanding the impact their actions can have.

The ramped up violence reduction learning programme is the latest addition in this powerful campaign that already includes emotionally charged graphics on the region’s buses, metro stations, billboards and kiosks, as well as online.

Already featuring in the campaign, the following message will now be a key factor in the education sessions delivered to young people – ‘Knife crime cuts deep. Whether you’re carrying or you’re a victim, the consequences impact everyone; family, friends, emergency services and communities’.

The Education Team have already worked with a staggering 71,555 young people since the unit’s inception in 2019, and this renewed focus will see them work with thousands more.

Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner, Kim McGuinness said: “I don’t want to see another family go through the heartbreak of losing a loved one to this horrific crime. That’s why this early intervention is key to ensuring young people understand that their actions can have a devastating impact on so many.”

“Education is such a valuable tool, which is my Violence Reduction Unit has a dedicated education team giving young people the chance to take part in open and honest discussions about the realities and consequences of knife crime.”

“We must continue to get the right messages to young people so that we can support them in making better decisions for their future.”

“I know the education team are eager to get back into schools to deliver our vital knife crime awareness sessions, and I’d like to thank every young person who takes part.”

Training is also available to those who work with young people to help them have those early conversations and provide the right support by understanding issues relating to knife crime that could increase a person’s vulnerability.

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

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Hundreds of young people have been targeted by on-the-ground patrols as result of the Newcastle Task Force set up to prevent spikes in summer violence. 

The task force, funded through Police Commissioner Kim McGuinness’ Violence Reduction Unit and Newcastle City Council, is making a significant impact in hotspot and high footfall areas of Newcastle this summer. 

The task force provides a visible presence with staff out meeting hundreds of young people in the city centre, parks and other green spaces, acting as a deterrent to incidents. 

Earlier this month, the Commissioner’s Violence Reduction Unit launched Knives Impact Everyone, an awareness campaign aimed at educating young people on the impact their actions can have if they were to carry or use a knife.  

As part of this, the task force in Newcastle is working to engage young people in order to reduce the number of those found to be in possession of a knife or weapon, as well as reducing the amount of young people becoming involved in anti-social and violent offences.  

Operating when the city is at its busiest for football matches, music concerts, popular nights out and iconic events such as the Hopping’s funfair, the task force has brought in a number of initiatives including:  

• Taking a targeted approach in order to utilise resources appropriately to get the best results in reducing violent crime.    
• Community Safety Teams deployed in hotspot and high footfall areas on weeknights and weekends to act as a deterrence and increase feelings of safety.  
• Utilising CCTV to deploy teams in areas where issues may be arising.  
• Youth Outreach Workers and other key partners working throughout the city now take part in fortnightly meeting to ensure a joined up approach to tackling violent crime.
• Staff have taken part in a programme of training including awareness around knife crime, personal safety, signs of intoxication and drug use, in order to help them spot the early signs and provide the best support.  

To identify and deter those causing the most disruption, the task force brings together a range of services and organisations, including the Northumbria Violence Reduction Unit, Newcastle City Council, Northumbria Police, the Youth Justice Service, Your Homes Newcastle and specialist youth services.  

Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner, Kim McGuinness said: “We need to keep getting ahead of the issue and quickly resolving it and that includes driving down violence over the summer and winter periods when the cities are at their busiest.” 

“I am delighted that the task force is making fantastic headway in engaging with our regions young people, helping to identify those causing disruption and deterring them from crime. It is a vital tool in our programme of activity to prevent serious violence, which is why the task force sits alongside the wider work of the Violence Reduction Unit and its partners.” 

“We must continue educating young people through our awareness sessions and important campaigns including Knives Impact Everyone, keep providing positive opportunities through dedicated youth work and offering the right support where needed. All of this early intervention is key to ensuring our young people make good decisions for their future.” 

“We all want to feel safe when attending popular events and enjoying everything else our cities have to offer – that’s why I want to reinforce my message that we will never tolerate violence.” 

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

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HEART-BREAKING conversations and undelivered messages feature in a series of short videos as part of a new campaign determined to prevent knife crime in the North East.

Last week, Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner Kim McGuinness and the Northumbria Violence Reduction Unit launched their hard-hitting campaign, Knives Impact Everyone. The campaign wants to make young people think before picking up a knife and understand the consequences of their actions.

The videos have been made available on online through a wide range of channels popular with young people, including Snapchat and YouTube. They highlight the devastating impact that knife crime has on so many people, such as family, friends, emergency services and communities.

Featuring difficult conversations between young people when an incident has taken place, an emergency worker reaching out to their partner for support after trying to save a life, a friend comforting a grieving parent and finally, the most heart breaking of them all, a loved one sending a message that will never be delivered, “I miss you so much”.

These powerful videos are the latest release in the Knives Impact Everyone campaign, which already has emotionally charged graphics covering the region’s buses, metro stations, billboards and kiosks, as well as online.

Speaking about the Knives Impact Everyone campaign, Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner, Kim McGuinness said: “Most of us think of knife crime as only having an impact on those we consider to be involved, the victim and the perpetrator – but what our campaign sets out is that there are so many more people impacted by this horrific crime. Family, friends, emergency services and local communities – we all feel it.”

“The videos released today show the true devastation and heartache that knife crime brings, from an emergency worker who tried to save a life, to a family member whose message will never be delivered to their loved one.”

“Our Knives Impact Everyone campaign helps us to continue getting important information to young people on the dangers, consequences and impact of carrying and using knives. However, there is so much more that we are doing to tackle knife crime, which the campaign now sits alongside.”

“We need to continue with the youth work, the interventions, the family support and the education sessions, delivered by the Violence Reduction Unit and its partners – all of this together is how we prevent knife crime and any more lives being lost.”

You can find out more about the work of the Northumbria Violence Reduction Unit and the campaign to reduce knife crime here: www.KnivesImpactEveryone.co.uk

Knives Impact Everyone Videos

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A hard-hitting campaign determined to stop knife crime in the North East has been launched today by Police Commissioner Kim McGuinness and Northumbria’s Violence Reduction Unit (VRU).

The ‘Knives Impact Everyone’ campaign highlights the devastating consequences carrying a knife can have, as well as pointing people to support and advice.

The emotionally charged graphics which feature unanswered text messages will be plastered across social media as well as on the backs of buses, billboards, and kiosks.

It features the words: ‘Knife crime cuts deep. Whether you’re carrying or you’re a victim, the consequences impact everyone; family, friends, emergency services and communities’.

The campaign has been designed with input from school children across the region, all keen to play a part in ending violence that has ruined lives in the region.

Although knife crime is a national problem, the North East is no exception and in recent years there have been too many lives taken too soon due to the evils of knife crime in cases which sent shock waves through local communities.

In a bid to fight such devastation, in 2019 Kim McGuinness set up the region’s first Violence Reduction Unit. The unit works with a range of services and youth organisations to engage as many young people as possible, and to understand the causes of knife crime and how to prevent it.

Through its education team, 1270 knife crime awareness sessions have been delivered by the VRU to 34,676 young people since 2020. A further 119 knife crime training sessions to 3016 practitioners since have also taken place.

Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner, Kim McGuinness, said: “We must reach kids with the right messages and the right opportunities – that’s how we prevent any more lives being lost in the North East.

“I don’t want to see another family go through the devastation of losing a loved one to knife crime. We’ve seen some incredibly brave families go through the unthinkable and we must put our all into stopping history repeating itself.

“Worried parents, teachers, police officers, not to mention so many young people themselves – everyone is desperate to put an end to senseless stabbings. Hundreds came to the memorial match for Tomasz – so many young voices were making it crystal clear – they don’t want there to be a senseless stabbing ever again and that’s why we made sure we engaged with kids when designing this. We need to understand the issue and we need them on board. We need real change and we have listened to these voices. I want to make it clear though 99% of kids don’t carry knives but there is 1% that do, and we must reach them, we must stop them.”

She continued: “This campaign must powerfully push out our message alongside all the youth work, the interventions, and the wider family support we are offering. I want young people to know of the consequences, know not to carry and a knife and know they need to report knife crime and how they can get support. For every person we dissuade from carrying a knife that could be potentially life-saving – so this campaign is incredibly important.”

Through the Violence Reduction Unit, Kim McGuinness has invested £100,000 in local communities to tackle violent crime this summer. This follows success last summer where violent crime dropped 12.2% and again by 10% in the winter.

Chief Superintendent Helena Barron, of Northumbria Police, said: “We very much support the campaign from the Violence Reduction Unit and welcome any initiative which helps highlight and reduce the devastation knife crime can cause.

“Knife crime is a complex issue and one each and every one us has a responsibility to help tackle.

“I hope this campaign will make people realise the potential consequences of carrying a knife or weapon – not only could you take away someone else’s future and cause untold pain to their loved ones, but also ruin your own life and those of your family and friends.

“We would urge anyone who does carry a knife to think again and stop.”

She added: “Tackling knife crime is a priority for us and we have officers, staff and volunteers working every single day to reduce the impact of this type of offending.

“From knife searches, targeting suspects, patrolling key locations and helping educate young people about the dangers of carrying weapons – we are committed to playing our part.

“We also work with our partners, through diversionary schemes and the Violence Reduction Unit to prevent people getting involved in this type of offending and steer them away from crime.

“We would also continue to ask for your support – for families to have conversations about the impact carrying a knife can have, and if you know someone takes a weapon out with them please report it to the police so we can take action.

“Our region is an incredible place to live and work, with a fantastic community spirit and by all pulling together we can make a difference.”

To report someone who carries a knife, or to share concerns, please use the Tell us Something page on the Northumbria Police website or via 101. Alternatively, you can contact independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

You can find out more about the work of the Northumbria Violence Reduction Unit and the campaign to reduce knife crime here: www.KnivesImpactEveryone.co.uk

A successful grass roots diversion project that steers young people away from knife crime is heading into its 5^th year of improving lives, having already supported hundreds of young people.

Police Commissioner Kim McGuinness sets out how sport can play a crucial role in bringing down knife crime by having dedicated mentors from the YOLO project, working with young people aged 10 to 16 who have come to the attention of police for carrying a knife or weapon in recent months.

The project aims to divert young people away from violent crime, with 87% of those benefiting saying they feel more confident, more able to set and achieve goals and are now more optimistic about their future.

Both Newcastle United Foundation and the Foundation of Light are funded by the Northumbria Violence Reduction Unit to deliver a range of opportunities and support to help young people make positive life choices that divert them from crime.

Through the popular 20-week programme, young people are provided with a mentor and the chance to take part in one-to-one sessions, and engage in activities such as sport, music, art, social action projects, as well as tailored interventions to support them in making positive behaviour change and address their needs.

Giving feedback, a young person supported by the project, said: “They’ve done so much to help me. Simple things that I struggled with before, I can now focus on. The Foundation got me back on track and showed me better ways to spend my time.”

Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner Kim McGuinness, said: “To tackle knife crime, we need to get ahead of the problem and that means reaching young people before they ever consider picking up a knife. But for those who have already made that choice or are at risk of becoming involved in violent crime, this fantastic project helps us to recognise the challenges that some young people face and allows us to work with them to address their behaviour and deter them from crime. That’s why projects like this are so important as they show young, often vulnerable people, that there is another way – violence doesn’t have to be a part of their life.”

She added: “Sport is one of many tools used by the Violence Reduction Unit and our regions two football foundations, but this project is not just about football, far from it. The programme is all about identifying the wider issues that can lead to a young person becoming involved in crime, understanding what matters to them, addressing their needs and supporting them in making real change for a more positive and fulfilling future. That’s how we prevent violent crime.”

Head of Youth and Community Education at Foundation of Light, Lee Crosby, said: “The Foundation of Light are extremely proud to be part of the YOLO scheme, and since commencing the partnership with the Violence Reduction Unit and Newcastle United Foundation, we have seen first-hand the impact and benefit for the young people we have engaged. Our mentors work hard to forge a positive relationship with the young people and develop a bespoke pathway that diverts the young person away from crime and violence, offering opportunities that promote positive behavioural change, whilst addressing their needs”.

Jordan Wragg, Youth Violence Coordinator at Newcastle United Foundation, said: “The YOLO intervention programme provides us with the opportunity to support participants in gaining confidence and awareness around making better decisions. We now have a renewed focus on knife crime awareness, working side by side with Foundation of Light and Northumbria Violence Reduction Unit to reach out to those vulnerable people that need our intervention the most. We do this through using the power of sport, one-to-one mentoring and tailored intervention sessions for everyone referred into the programme. Thanks to the support from the VRU, we can provide safe learning environments for each of sessions and activities we provide for vulnerable people across the local authorities.”

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

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