BPS welcomes new government coalition to tackle knife crime
The BPS welcomes the new Coalition to Tackle Knife Crime launched by the government.
30 September 2024
The government has announced a new Coalition to Tackle Knife Crime.
Responding to the news, authors of the research "Knife crime offender characteristics and interventions – A systematic review" and BPS members Kevin Browne, Sandra Jareno-Ripoll and Dr Elizabeth Paddock said:
"This new coalition is a welcome step in the right direction to tackling the devastating impact of knife crime.
"This is the ideal opportunity for the government to ensure there is access to tailored psychological support for young people in inner-city deprived communities. This should be embedded across housing, education, training, and employment.
"Research shows this is an effective method of tackling the root causes of knife crime and can result in a 50 per cent reduction in young people carrying knives. Greater support for mental health services aimed at young people would also make a significant impact as according to research, two-thirds of knife crime offenders acting alone have mental health problems."