WEST MERCIA PCC: DISCLOSURE LOG
RESPONSE TO REQUEST
Reference: 2023 – 357 / WE08790
Date of response: 16th November 2023
FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT 2000 – INFORMATION REQUEST
Request
Please supply the following information, under the FOI Act.
What is the Police and Crime Commissioner currently doing to combat knife crime?
Please supply details of current initiatives.
What has been spent (£) on these initiatives?
Please supply figures for the past five years (calendar or financial) – from 2018 to the present.
If possible, please supply this information in spreadsheet format (excel).
Response
Please see the below response to your request.
Funding from the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) from 2018 to present year.
Financial
| Financial Year | Project funded | Payment amount (£) |
| 2018-19 | No funding provided | |
| 2019-2020 | Steer Clear Telford | £20,000 |
| 2019-2020 | Shropshire | £25,500 payment made via the Youth Support Service |
| 2021 | Knife Angel | £5,000 |
| 2021 | Link Worker for the Children’s Society | £20,000 |
| 2021-2022 | Knife Angel | £5,000 |
| 2021-2022 | Knife Angel | Payment made via the Community Safety Partnership £10,000 |
| 2023 | Knife Angel | £10,000 |
| 2023 | West Mercia Steer Clear | £214,943.32 |
To view further funding information for the PCC you can visit our website at; www.westmercia-pcc.gov.uk under the funding section there is an overview of the Commissioning activity for the current financial year, and a section for current and historic commissioning and grant funding.
Steer Clear Project Information.
Up until 2019, there was no specific funding for knife crimes, however, in 2019 a pilot project called ‘Steer Clear’ was run in Telford, and due to its’ success, was then introduced in other areas across the three Counties within West Mercia.
The project was initially coordinated by West Mercia Police youth engagement officers, working alongside partners in education, youth justice, health, safeguarding services and local charities, funded by the PCC. The PCC has funded the project over the past three years and in 2023, provided a further £600,000 investment to enhance the service with one-to-one provision, provide service parity across West Mercia and introduce a more appropriate agency to divert young people away from the criminal justice system.
The PCC is committed to tackling knife crime at its’ root and supporting early intervention projects such as Steer Clear that are aimed at early prevention.
The Steer Clear programme is award winning, aimed at preventing knife related crimes early and was awarded a Howard League Community Award in 2022.
The Steer Clear project is a targeted education and engagement programme, delivered by The Children’s Society, which can be delivered at schools, social care premises, activity providers and others, offering a safe space for young people aged 10-18 years old, who are believed to be, or may become, involved in knife related crime, to talk and engage in, without fear or judgement.
The Children’s Society, take an intelligence led approach to intervene early to try and prevent the criminalisation of young people suspected to be involved in, or on the periphery of, involvement in knife related crime.
The sessions run by The Children’s Society take the form of one-to-one and group workshops, the latter providing opportunities for valuable peer-to-peer engagement and support on a group level, as well as the chance to take part in diversionary activity. The overall aim of the programme is to improve Young People’s understanding of knife crime, and offer alternative solutions, reducing serious youth violence. Homicide investigations on average costs the taxpayer £3.2M, so early intervention and prevention in this space is crucial.
Yours sincerely,
FOI Officer
West Mercia OPCC
Response Reviews.
If you think that the Police and Crime Commissioner has failed to supply information in accordance with the publication scheme, then you should write in the first instance, to the:
Chief Executive, OPCC – West Mercia, Hindlip Hall, Worcester. WR3 8SP
The PCC will aim to deal with your complaint within 10 working days. If you are dissatisfied with the response you can ask for the matter to be internally reviewed. Internal reviews will be completed promptly and a response given to you within 20 working days of your further
request.
If, after the internal review, you remain dissatisfied, then you can complain to the Information Commissioner (Office of the Information Commissioner), Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF).
Should you have any further enquiries concerning this matter, please write to the Information Compliance Unit; Information Compliance Unit, PO Box 55, Worcester, WR3 8SP. Email: [email protected]
