Half-term knife crime project reaches more than 500 young people

A city centre project to prevent knife crime reached more than 500 people over the February half-term, as Birmingham City Council and more than a dozen partners stepped up outreach in areas identified as hotspots.

The council's Community Safety Team expanded its Hyper Local Knife Crime Project during the holiday, focusing on "HEX" zones in the city centre, high-risk areas identified through data under a Home Office-funded national programme.

Who was involved

Partners included the Birmingham Community Safety Partnership, the police, the regional Violence Reduction Partnership, the fire service, the air ambulance, youth organisations including the Guiding Young Minds youth bus, Birmingham Youth Service, Crimestoppers, public health teams and community groups such as Community Foundation and Positive Impact Development.

What happened over half-term

• Pop-up street sport sessions, with portable football, basketball and other equipment, created safe, supervised places for young people to meet.
• A "Chill Zone" tent offered music, seating and a safe place to spend time away from riskier locations.
• Youth workers, mentors and outreach teams gave advice, emotional support and routes into longer-term help.
• Young people were supported to move into fixed youth spaces, where they could get one-to-one mentoring, careers advice and help with CVs.
• Staff worked with schools and colleges across the city centre, and kept in touch with young people already known to them.

Part of a wider plan

The activity builds on a longer-term city centre safety plan that includes more knife bins and bleed kits, better lighting, more CCTV, detached youth workers, Safe Spaces and the WalkSafe app.

According to monitoring in the HEX zones, there were six reported knife crime incidents in October, when the project began, four in November, and one each in December and January. The council says the figures show both the continuing risk and why keeping up a visible presence during school holidays matters.

"This phase of the Hyper Local Knife Crime Project demonstrates the power of a united partnership approach," said Councillor Jamie Scott, Cabinet Member for Social Justice, Community Safety and Equalities.

He said bringing together statutory agencies, youth specialists and community organisations had created safe spaces and provided vital support to young people in the heart of the city.

The council says the approach follows national guidance that early, evidence-based intervention is essential to reducing knife crime, and reflects regional analysis showing rising knife possession in Birmingham and the long-term effects of cuts to youth services.