£600k project aims to tackle youth crime with sport projects
Hundreds of thousands of pounds is being spent on young people living in crime hotspots across the Black Country and Birmingham to help keep them out of trouble over the summer.
The money will be used to pay for activities and mentoring classes for eight to 25 year olds living in areas of high crime. A pot of £600,000 has been set aside for the project.
The news comes in the wake of a steep rise in knife crime and the launch last month(JUNE) of a £7million fund to tackle youth violence West Midlands Police has declare the problem a "national emergency".
Basketball, football, netball, canoeing and boxing sessions have been set up, all including mentoring aimed at reducing violent behaviour and developing confidence and communication skills.
The move is part of a wider public health approach, designed to address the root causes of violent crime.
The cash has come from a number of sources – the West Midlands Police and Crime Commission, Public Health England, the NHS, councils, schools and colleges, local communities and private industry.
The first activity sessions start this week(22nd), with the majority of projects running until the end of August.
David Jamieson, the West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner, said: “Crime has been rising across the country and here in the West Midlands we are not immune. We’ve been hit by a rise in knife crime of 85 per cent since 2012.
"That is why I am so pleased we will be able to provide a wide range of activities for youngsters across the West Midlands over the summer period.
"The warmer days and light evenings traditionally lead to a rise in crime, which sadly often results in serious harm, injuries and occasionally even death.
“It is vital that we don’t abandon young people over the summer holidays and we continue to engage with those most at risk.”
Jayne Meir, Assistant Chief Constable of West Midlands Police, said: “The funding will provide a great opportunity for young people to get involved in activities to fill their time over the summer holiday. This is a really positive step to divert people away from crime and particularly violent crime at a key time of the year.
"Working in partnership is key to tackling violent crime, police cannot do it alone, so I really welcome the collaboration as part of the wider public health approach to bring this work together.”
