Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner, Kim McGuinness, has warned North East households will be left behind if the chancellor, Rishi Sunak, fails to address the region’s growing poverty in Wednesday’s spring statement.

With the cost-of-living crisis believed to be hitting struggling families in the North East the hardest, the Commissioner is piling on the pressure ahead of the budget. She is urging the Government to offer more help to the growing number of people in the region who are finding it hard to pay their bills.

Ahead of the Chancellor’s financial update, the Commissioner has warned that those growing up in deprived areas are far more likely to be a victim of crime – and this needs addressing urgently.

Illustrating her concerns, she points to worrying research by the University of Manchester which shows children growing up in poverty are seven times more likely to harm themselves and be involved in violent crimes as young adults. Findings elsewhere in England have also shown 80% more crimes were recorded in the most income-deprived areas – something which the Commissioner believes highlights the importance of fighting poverty.

Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner, Kim McGuinness, said: “The Chancellor has a clear choice. He takes the opportunity to address poverty now or he leaves North East households to face rising costs and poverty.

“He needs to come up with something drastic to help ordinary struggling people” she continued.  “We are sick and tired up here. 11 kids in every class of 30 in our region are living in poverty. Never mind heating bills, some kids don’t even have a warm winter coat to go to school in. It’s both heart-breaking and disgusting that we are even in this position.”

She went on to explain: “If we reduce the number of families in poverty we will reduce the number of victims of crime. We need to back our young people with opportunities that divert them away from causing trouble. Any police officer here will tell you, we cannot simply arrest our way out of crime.”

ENDS

Northumbria’s Police Commissioner Kim McGuinness reacts to today’s hard-hitting report which calls for urgent, radical action to protect women and girls from violence. Kim said:

“This report couldn’t be any clearer and spells out what so many who work with victims and survivors have been crying out for, for years- action and change. The figures in the report are alarming and represent an epidemic of violent and abusive offending against women and girls across England and Wales.

“I don’t want to take anything away from the progress, hard work and commitment we have seen in recent years, including the progress in Northumbria Police, but the whole system has to work every, single, time. 

“This report doesn’t tell us anything new though. In fact, we don’t need more reports about this we need change and change will only happen if it is backed up by the right level of funding. This is not something to be skimped and saved on and after 11 years in power it’s time for this government to step up.

“Time is ticking, there are women and children who are suffering unimaginable abuse. This cannot go ignored. Ignoring a problem only means it gets worse. We have to work to prevent it. This is absolutely a top priority for me, for our police and for our region and it’s about time it is for Government too. Through my Violence Reduction Unit, here in Northumbria we are really focusing on this prevention, working to stop reoffending and supporting families at risk of violence and abuse. Our police need all the support possible to help them to get a grip of this because it really is not a job for the police alone. Let’s hope this is the beginning of real change to protect and make women’s and girl’s lives safer.”

PRESS RELEASE

A new report published by Police and Crime Commissioner, Kim McGuinness, calls on the Government to urgently invest in youth services, if serious about levelling up.

The research, conducted as part of the Commissioner’s preventing crime strategy, highlights how local youth provisions are at breaking point and one youth worker said they know of young people who have never even heard of a youth club saying “they just don’t know what one is”.

This statement, along with other findings, reveal the true toll budget cuts and the Coronavirus pandemic have had on youth services.

In fact, 71% of the youth organisations surveyed have seen their funding cut or reduced since 2011. Overall there has been a 75% decrease in local authority spending on youth services in Northumbria since 2011. This means funding has been slashed by £31.5 million pounds, with Northumberland being the hardest hit. One organisation cited suffering a “100 per cent cut to funding in 2014”.

The report, which pulls together the views of almost 100 North East youth work organisations, has prompted the Commissioner to call on the government for an urgent rescue strategy, to save the youth sector and young people from losing their way.

It features a series of key recommendations on how Government, local authorities and PCCs can come together to support future generations. These include:

1. The Government should appoint a minister who has a portfolio focussed on youth services.
2. Youth services should be backed with urgent Government investment in the next Comprehensive Spending Review.
3. The Government should devolve the funding and powers needed to create localised youth strategies in collaboration with young people themselves.

People working with young people have shared their thoughts on topics such as funding cuts, staffing levels and concerns for future generations.

Findings include:

• 82% of respondents believe safe locations for young people to gather and meet would help prevent those involved from falling into a life of crime.
• 77% stated that there needs to be an increase in youth services in their local area.
• 63% said that more employment and skill development opportunities were required to prevent youth criminality.

Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner, Kim McGuinness, said: “These findings spell out very clearly how young people struggle to find support throughout the North. We have charities giving their all, putting everything into making young people’s lives better but some are having to fundraise for every penny that comes in. They need real help.”

One organisation said: “Youth services are at breaking point. There is not enough money to support the essential services never mind the more specialised help some young people need.” While another worryingly revealed “Finances are tight and we will soon be at a point where we need to start an exit strategy, if no additional funding is found by October 21”.

As organisations emerge from the pandemic restrictions, there is concern about the increased vulnerabilities and needs of young people too, and the impact on youth services. 68% of respondents stated that it is very likely that referrals and service demand will increase to support the additional vulnerability amongst young people. Feedback from one organisation was that although they “tried to deliver remotely that didn’t attract those most in need”. Another reported that “200-300 young people did not return to projects that they previously attended” and they are now conducting an exercise to find out where they are.

Kim continued: “The aftermath of the pandemic is a crucial time for us to be getting things right – we can’t afford to let young people down so we all need to come together on this.

“Resources have never been so scarce. It’s time for some serious levelling up for young people in the North not only in our towns and cities but in our rural areas. It starts with funding youth services, funding youth workers and making young people and their futures at the top of the agenda. If we invest in young people, we are investing in the future and the whole criminal justice system can reap the benefits of this. Research has shown a growing link between cuts to youth services and the country’s knife crime epidemic and we’ll need to work together to turn this around. If we improve lives we prevent crime.”

Clare Williams, Regional Secretary at Unison said “The work undertaken by PCC Kim McGuinness shows the reality behind the rhetoric of the Government which talks about levelling up when actually our young people across communities in our region have no access to youth services.  This is because the Government has for the last 10 years cut local funding year on year.  Unison has been calling on the Government to listen to the evidence and to provide adequate funding.”

A separate report by the Audit Commission into the benefits of sport and leisure activities in preventing anti-social behaviour by young people estimates that a young person in the criminal justice system costs the taxpayer over £200,000 by the age of 16. But one who is given support to stay out costs less than £50,000.

To read the findings in full and the recommendations set out by the PCC please visit:

Voices from the Frontline – A report into the future of youth services

Thousands of school children have seen the reality of carrying a knife after Police and Crime Commissioner Kim McGuinness funded specialist education sessions.

Over the last school year, the PCC’s Violence Reduction Unit worked with almost 3,500 children and young people to raise awareness of knife crime and the impact of carrying a knife, despite the restrictions in place due to lockdown.

The Education Team delivered interactive sessions for young people in schools and youth groups with a focus on awareness and prevention of knife crime.

The sessions covered why young people might carry a knife, the law, as well as providing advice on additional information and support. An incredible 152 sessions were delivered to young people throughout the North East, as part of a long-term ambition to fight crime.

Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner, Kim McGuinness said: “It is vitally important that we continue to educate young people to provide them with the knowledge to make positive decisions for the future. I am delighted by how many young people my Violence Reduction Unit have engaged with and I encourage anyone in a school or youth setting to contact the team to arrange a session”.

During the pandemic the number of offences involving a knife dropped by 8% and hospital admissions for assault were down. Ms McGuiness added: “Although our region is very safe there is always a possibility that crime could increase as we come out of lockdown. Therefore, we must engage young people now to ensure they are diverted from crime by having the right support and opportunities. My Violence Reduction Unit are here to ensure that Northumbria Police are not alone in standing up to violent crime.”

The Education Team recently delivered a knife crime session at Barnardo’s Employment Training Skills North in North Shields. Helen Skea, Curriculum Lead said: “We had a great session with all the young people within our centre in partnership with Northumbria Youth Action. The session was about raising awareness of knife crime and the students were educated on the consequences and impact of carrying knives, not just for themselves but also for their family, friends and community. All our students have left the session with the clear understanding of the implications and devastating impacts and not to carry knives. In addition learners are now more aware of where to get advice and support in particular the #knifefree website and Fearless (Crimestoppers).”

Training is also available to those who work with young people to ensure they have an understanding of issues relating to knife crime such as the law and factors that increase a person’s vulnerability to becoming both a perpetrator and a victim.

For more information or to arrange an education session, please contact the Violence Reduction Unit by email VRU@northumbria-pcc.gov.uk.