Knife Crime: The Levers for Change Don’t Work in England

Blog by Howard Sharron on knife crime and the policy challenges in reducing it

The continuing rise in knife crime and the shocking deaths of so many young people has prompted much hand-wringing amongst government ministers. They have all said ‘something must be done’ and have cited the Scottish Public Heath approach and the Violence Reduction Unit (VRU) in the Glasgow’s Police force as possible ways forward.

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      string(3239) "Last month, the FlavasumTrust – a charity fighting knifecrime – and YoungMinds– the UK’s child mental healthcharity – held a day to fightLondon’s knife crime. Theone day event (13 November)offered performances andworkshops from five teenagetheatre groups which helpdisabled or disadvantagedyoung people express socialissues through drama.More than 160 people froma range of organisations came– including young people fromschools, Pupil Referral Units andYouth Offending Services. Therewere also practitioners fromHousing Trusts, the Metropolitanpolice, the Arts Council andother theatre companies. Theyoung people learned about thedangers of gang culture fromother teenagers facing similarissues. The practitioners wereshown the power of theatre, andlearned how to use it in theirwork in the community.YoungMinds supportedthe ‘early intervention’ project.They said it gave young peoplethe knowledge and skillsthey need to cope with thechallenges of growing up indeprived areas of London.The ‘Flavasum trust’ is asmall London charity which wasUsing theatre to fight knifecrimeFEATURESA day of theatre was used to show teenagers the dangers of carrying a knife. Hannah Smithreports.FEATURESset up after Tom Easton wasstabbed to death in 2006 workingas a sound engineer in Islington.Its aim is to prevent crime byraising awareness among youngpeople of the consequences ofcarrying knives and weapons. Theydo this through music and thearts – believing that plays whichshow characters and situationspeople can relate to evokes a morevisceral experience than textbooks.Projects like this raisedifficult issues which are notnormally talked about. It couldbe uncool for a young person tobring up these issues with theirfriends. Young people could feelvulnerable talking about their owndifficulties. But talking about acharacter or acting out someoneelse’s feelings helps people dealwith problems like drugs, alcohol,knife crime and gangs.A teacher from Merryhillsprimary school, Enfield, said: “Itwas very real and believable andheld the attention of a difficultgroup for over an hour. They needthis kind of work.”The plays and workshopswere inspiring. I was struck bytheir powerful messages. Theyreally made you think aboutpeer pressure and bullying.Unfortunately, despite numerousreports showing the arts canregenerate communities, projectslike this lack funding. The day’sdiscussions also revealed that notall the schools appreciated theplays – particularly those whichdealt withdifficultissues likementalhealthproblems,drugsand sex.Teachersworriedaboutparent’sreactions– and aboutbringingup issueswith theirpupils theydon’t feelqualified todeal with.There is still a long way to gobefore people can discuss theseissues freely and openly. However,this day really highlighted theneed for a commitment fromgovernment and charities toprovide long term funding forprojects like this – and a willingnessfrom all schools and communitygroups to work with these theatregroups.Hannah Smith is the seniorcampaigns officer atYoungMinds. YoungMinds is theUK’s leading charity committedto improving the emotionalwell being and mental health ofchildren and young people."
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Special Needs

Using theatre to fight knife crime

13 Dec 2009

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Leadership Briefing Issue 5.02 (50)"
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      string(607) "The National Foundation for Educational Research, with the National Youth Agency (NYA) and National Institute of Adult Continuing Education (NIACE), was commissioned by the Local Government Association (LGA) to examine what works in intergenerational practice. Intergenerational practice refers to activities that bring together older adults and young people or children. Five intergenerational projects were selected to cover a range of foci and target groups, focusing on football, arts, knife crime, living history, and personal and social education.
Leadership Briefing Issue 5.02 (50)"
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      string(4372) "ResourceINTERGENERATIONAL PRACTICE: OUTCOMES AND EFFECTIVENESSOriginal DocumentIntergenerational Practice: Outcomes And Effectiveness. The National Foundation for Educational Research, with the National Youth Agency (NYA) and National Institute of Adult Continuing Education (NIACE), was commissioned by the Local Government Association (LGA) to examine what works in intergenerational practice. Intergenerational practice refers to activities that bring together older adults and young people or children. Five intergenerational projects were selected to cover a range of foci and target groups, focusing on football, arts, knife crime, living history, and personal and social education.KeywordsYouth, adult education, young people, children, personal and social educationSummaryThe National Foundation for Educational Research, with the National Youth Agency (NYA) and National Institute of Adult Continuing Education (NIACE), was commissioned by the Local Government Association (LGA) to examine what works in intergenerational practice. Intergenerational practice refers to activities that bring together older adults and young people or children. Five intergenerational projects were selected to cover a range of foci and target groups, focusing on football, arts, knife crime, living history, and personal and social education.The five projects focused on football, arts, knife crime, living history, and personal and social education. Two were located in schools, one in a health centre, one in a youth drop-in centre, and one at a football club.Each of the five case-study projects had the global aim of improving perceptions and challenging stereotypes of both young and older people.The ratio of young people to older people was identified as a key factor for achieving successful outcomes. One-to-one work was preferable.Intergenerational work is complex and not easy to get right. Activities involving young and older people require careful planning and supervision to be successful. The preparation required should not be underestimated.The skills of those delivering projects were also identified as important for success.It is vital that staff facilitating intergenerational work have the skills and confidence to deal with the unexpected and be able to react appropriately when issues arise.Key Findings:· The most fundamental outcome for all participants is that they enjoy the activities. They also develop friendships, gain increased understanding of the other age group, gain confidence and develop new skills.· Specific outcomes for young people include positive benefits for academic work and improved relationships with grandparents. Additional outcomes experienced by older people relate to their well-being. More general outcomes include greater community cohesion. There is some evidence of potential negative outcomes, if stereotypes are reinforced through activities.· Challenges centred on recruitment and selection of both young and older people, the activities provided, and the organisation and logistics of intergenerational work.· A range of key factors of effective intergenerational practice were also identified.Conclusions:· This study highlights key factors for success and the outcomes from five intergenerational projects. The intergenerational projects selected for this study did not appear to include participants with entrenched negative views about younger or older generations yet there was still some evidence of impact from this work despite the group’s positive outlook.· Schools, in particular, can benefit greatly from intergenerational activities. This study highlights positive outcomes for pupils, teachers and the wider school community. However , barriers for schools, particularly around safeguarding requirements and the time needed to set up activities, present significant challenges. Intergenerational work would often not be possible without support from external organisations with the time and resource to establish and deliver activities. Having an intergenerational officer at LA level to drive this work forward and support the implementation of activities is beneficial.ActionNotesAuthorRaspal Chima, Imaginative MindsDate CreatedJune 2010Enquiries to:raspal.chima@yahoo.co.uk (Authoring Unit)Month / YearPage 1 of 1©Birmingham City Council"
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Leadership

Intergenerational Practice

25 Jun 2010

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      string(4746) "ResourceBREAKING THE CYCLE OF VIOLENCEOriginal DocumentBreaking the Cycle of Violence. This report shows how sport can provide an effective response to the growing problems of gun and knife crime amongst young people. It was written by social research co-operative Substance and commissioned by the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation. It calls on politicians, professional sports clubs and community sports facilities to invest in sport as an effective mechanism for tackling youth crime and gang violence.KeywordsGang violence, gun and knife crime, young people, community sports facilitiesSummaryThis report shows how sport can provide an effective response to the growing problems of gun and knife crime amongst young people. It was written by social research co-operative Substance and commissioned by the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation. It calls on politicians, professional sports clubs and community sports facilities to invest in sport as an effective mechanism for tackling youth crime and gang violence.The findings of the report suggest that there are many benefits of gang membership, which include a sense of excitement, safety, status, power, self esteem and belonging, feelings that are both important for young people to experience but which are also accessible through an engagement in sport.It is perhaps this realisation more than any other which should set the context for using sport as a potential resource to tackle the problems associated with gang behaviour. While further practice-based learning will be required to guide future interventions a number of themes have been identified through this research which might help to inform initial investments and ongoing research.Rather than presenting a blueprint for how to use sport to address the problems associated with gang behaviour the report’s preliminary findings would suggest the need for a prime focus on creating the right environments for good practice to emerge. This will require:· Identification of and investment in high-quality local facilities· Long-term funding to support the ongoing provision of sessional staff· Flexible approaches to engagement that focus on quality rather than quantity· Ongoing assessment and reflective practice· Realistic targets which focus on long-term protection against risk factors rather than short-term impacts on offending ratesMain Points:The final report articulates how sports initiatives can best meet the challenge of urban youth violence and suggests some key features:· A focus on the similarities between gang and sporting experience – meeting young people’s need for belonging, status and excitement in a positive way.· A commitment to engage whole groups rather than individuals – working with entrenched hierarchies rather than trying to displace them.· Inclusion of peer mentors into project structures to provide realistic role models and a pathway for future project leaders.· A rooting in the local community and in particular local sports clubs.· Close links with educational and career opportunities for young people involved. Ten Principles of Practice:2. Acknowledge that many young people’s perceptions of gang behaviour are not consistent with those which dominate wider public discussion.3. Accept that those who identify themselves with gangs often do so in order to secure friendship and a sense of belonging which offers protection.4. Utilise sports’ similarities with, rather than its differences from, gangs and gang- related behaviour.5. Mobilise sporting activity that generates equivalent levels of excitement and delivers a sense of danger, heroism and status.6. Where possible engage whole groups in purposeful activity without undermining or challenging existing group structures and hierarchies.7. Focus on the provision of regular and reliable opportunities that build interest, credibility and commitment over time.8. Identify realisable goals that capture the imagination and build in structures which enable the development of progression pathways and competitive opportunities.9. Generate access to better local facilities and make them openly accessible with a sense of local control and ownership.10. Utilise high-profile sports figures to generate interest, credibility and respect but acknowledge that there is no better role model than the peer mentor who has graduated from the position of the participants.11. Ensure the ongoing capture of a range of evidence of outcomes to demonstrate project achievements.ActionNotesAuthorRaspal Chima, Imaginative MindsDate CreatedJuly 2009Enquiries to:raspal.chima@yahoo.co.uk (Authoring Unit)Month / YearPage 1 of 1©Birmingham City Council"
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Leadership

Breaking the Cycle of Violence

23 Jul 2009

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      string(2291) "police, it becameobvious that there was a drugs issue on the estate and inthe Aylesbury area as a whole. So in consultation with thestudents through the school council, we decided that thiswould be our focus.”The project focused on three areas , art , music anddrama, thr ough which students explored the issuessurrounding young people and substance misuse .Performance-based, it also drew on positive issuesaround young people, juxtaposing them against thenegative images. Two drama specialists worked on anumb er of  role-plays lo oking a t  choice andconsequenc e relating to drug and alcohol use, thedangers of innoc ent fun escalating into serious druguse, violence, injury and even death, while musicianFraser Tr ainer from the S outh Bank Centre worked withmusic students from across the scho ol , whocomposed, played and recorded a 12-minute piece ofmusic which reflected up on the personal problemsthat can be caused by tak ing drugs.Two photo graphers, firstly a police photographerand then a few days later a professional photographer,accompanied groups of students around k nowntrouble spots . The differen t photographic impressionstaken of the areas – one practical, the other ar tistic –was sho wn on a projector, with the students’ musicused as a backing track, during several ‘r oadshow’days. These also showc ased the students’ drama work,firstly to other members of Year 10 at Mandeville andthen to children at two nearby primary schools. “It wasan enormous bo ost to our students’ self-esteem topresent their work to children from the other side oftown, where there is also a known drugs issue,” saysBrian.At the end of the Operation Blunt day, students werequeuing up to add their name to a pledge wall at thefront of the school. Their many promises not to carry aweapon – especially a knife – illustrated how successfulthe day had been. And as the two prisoners walked offfor the final time, to rapturous applause, it was obviousthat the slogan ‘Respect Your Life Not a Knife’ would notsoon be forgotten.Crispin Andrews is a primary school teacher andeducation writer.Students see PC Briggenshaw as approachableand supportive, contrary to the detached,distant image of the police that young peoplehave often had in the past"
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Leadership

The long arm of the law

7 Aug 2007

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