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<p>The Government is determined to do everything it can to tackle knife crime and
break the deadly cycle of violence that devastates the lives of victims, families
and communities. The latest statistics published by the Office for National Statistics
on 25 April for the year ending December 2018 show an increase of 6 per cent in police
recorded knife crime across England and Wales, including a 4 per cent increase in
the Northumbria police area.</p><p>We are taking action to address these increases
on a number of fronts in support of our Serious Violence Strategy. This includes providing
the police with the powers and resources they need to take effective action in all
areas of the country. Through the Offensive Weapons Act we are tightening the law
in relation to knives, including making it an offence to possess certain offensive
weapons in private, and stopping knives being sent to residential addresses after
they are bought online unless the seller has arrangements with a delivery company
to verify age. We are also introducing new Knife Crime Prevention Orders, requested
by the police to help them to tackle young people who are on the cusp of serious violence,
to help them make more positive lifestyle choices. We also continue to support the
police national weeks of action against knife crime under Operation Sceptre.</p><p>The
police funding settlement provides the police with the biggest increase in funding
since 2010, and in addition we are providing the additional £100 million to tackle
serious violence announced in the Spring Statement on 13 March, which includes £80m
of new funding from the Treasury. The majority of the investment will go towards supporting
the police forces most affected by the violence we are seeing, but the funding will
also support Violence Reduction Units, bringing together a range of agencies, including
health, education, social services and others, to develop a multi-agency approach
to preventing serious violence. £63.4 million of this funding has already been allocated
to 18 police forces most affected by serious violence to pay for surge operational
activity, including increased patrols, and £1.6 million to help improve the quality
of data on serious violence, particularly knife crime, to support planning and operations.
Northumbria has been allocated £2.32m from this fund.</p><p>We are also raising awareness
among young people of the dangers of carrying a knife through our national media campaign
- #knifefree – and supporting early intervention through the £22 million Early Intervention
Youth Fund, which is already supporting 29 local projects, including £371,632 allocated
to the Police and Crime Commissioner in Northumbria to target young people on the
periphery of involvement with the criminal justice system, as a result of their escalating
offending behaviour.</p><p>We have also introduced the £200 million Youth Endowment
Fund, which will be delivered over the next 10 years to support interventions with
children and young people at risk of involvement in crime and violence, focusing on
those most at risk. The charity Impetus, working in partnership with the Early Intervention
Foundation and Social Investment Business, is now operating the Fund</p><p>A full
list of the forces and the funding they have received from the serious violence fund
is available at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/police-granted-funding-boost-for-action-on-serious-violence."
target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/news/police-granted-funding-boost-for-action-on-serious-violence.</a></p><p>
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