On March 24 this year, after 3 years of operation, FKCL became a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (Charity number: 1207588). FKCL welcomes our four other new trustees, Joe Raby (assistant director of justice at Catch22), Sammy Odoi (MD at Wipers Youth), Dan Brocklebank, and Rachel Duncan (Coroner’s Officer with the Met). Rachel knows family tragedy and understands the effects of knife crime in a highly personal sense. Each bring individual skills and valuable advice to guide us and grow this resource that FKCL has become.
We are hugely grateful to Catch22 for providing us with advice and administrative support though our fledgling years. But as this magazine shows, we have never been alone. We have the combined power of multiple organisations whose contributions we continue to share through our website, our magazine, our directory, videos and podcasts, social media and via FKCL’s online library of resources, statistics, and research. Working too across on social media, our aim is to make the work we all do more powerful, and better informed.
This 11th Edition focuses on a theme that has assumed ever increasing importance. Over a span of years that have seen young people actively deprived of wide range of resources they deserve. So it is that everyone who writes in this edition has from their own perspective approached the question of how we can become “greater than ourselves”. All of those who write here are exemplars who deserve to be listened too, not just for illustrating how they get it right, but also how decision makers with public money can still sometimes get it wrong. Those who write here inspire us, as much as teach us by example.
Sure, the Government has recently announced an intention to inject £4 million into new technology and other investments1. Amongst Home Office proposals is mention of new non-intrusive wands that can be deployed at a distance to detect weapons. My own view is that this could be a game changer for all of us, and render stop and search unnecessary in its present form. We should not be nervous of our civil rights as the benefits in a democratic society will far outweigh any concerns about personal rights to privacy. Indeed, intrusion where innocent young people are unfairly searched will be markedly reduced, and those who carry knives will have much greater reason to fear detection. I have discussed this with one of the major developers of this emergent technology, and this could be a simple change that could return any investment many times over, save lives, protect police, and prevent the carrying of knives. A positive by-product could be the removal the present stigma around ‘stop and search’.
As one of the most experienced in our field, Chris Wright, the former Chief Executive of the Social Business Catch22 writes that “…things that work tend to do so despite the system”. Surely what matters is how you and I, and our neighbour, all work together in constructive partnership with others that has the best chance of making a difference in this poorly resourced field. It’s a well-used line, I know, but no organisation should let a sense of pride in what they do isolate talent or resources, but seek ways to augment it.
Read too the observations of the CEO of Voyage Youth, Paul Anderson MBE who points up some serious institutional failings which, if addressed, could make a huge difference to the way smaller schemes can augment and enhance the work of larger and more traditionally well-funded organisations. Surely, working effectively with others should be a pre-condition for the grant of any public funds.
This edition also looks at how the West Midlands Community Initiative to Reduce Violence (CIRV) is making a difference, again reaping the benefit of new investment. Shazelle Punjabi - Communications Officer for the West Midlands Violence Reduction Partnership tells us how this works.
For one specific example, read about Steel Warriors and their incredible and empowering work. Christian d’Ippolito, their Head of Development illustrates that their “… spaces and services provide a safe haven for people to connect in real terms with a common purpose”. You can read here that “the harsh reality is that many people's idea of 'community' has been whittled down to an online experience”. He also reminds how working directly with communities can make a real difference to the young lives they inspire.
Louise McNestrie, Senior Programme Manager, of Rise Up for London Youth writes about how we have “…a collective need to continue to push boundaries to create waves of change for all young people. They are our future, and they are worth it.” See how they do it too. We have all so much to learn.
Marian Adejokun founder of ReachOut2All illustrates their own approach to greater and successful collaboration by outlining the multi-pronged mechanisms they use. As a useful mnemonic you might use to describe this is “PEACE OP”. The name of Marian’s organisation also says it all.
The team from the Social Switch Project also help us all with their well-recognised methods of collaborative working, illustrating how the Social Switch Project has equipped over 2,500 professionals with the tools to address the challenges and opportunities presented by the digital world when working with young people. They remind us that saving lives by reducing violence can bring huge incremental benefits in other ways as well.
Finally, does your organisation have a protocol on cross-sector working? Do you do your own research to see how improvements could be made? If any organisation in our directory, and those who run projects in London or elsewhere, have more ideas about how we can work better together, do tell us how you do it, and we will happily consider publishing these good ideas in our future magazines. Don’t keep it to yourself. We all have much to learn from the wonderful organisations and subscribers it is our mission to support.
Our new Charity Needs your HELP
What we do we do for all of you
Fighting Knife Crime London has an urgent request. The service we provide to every organisation in Greater London helping young people, depends on us being able to fund the company that design and maintain our website, our fantastic magazine, and our social media. They are brilliant at it and very dedicated.
FKCL has always existed to support and applaud the work that all of you do for young people, and to make what you all do accessible to every young person who need help and support to change their lives. FKCL has no paid staff, so our needs are not that great.
Can you afford a few pounds, and encourage others to help as well? As we don’t work directly with young, we find ourselves often excluded by the criteria that most funders impose. We desperately want to continue the work we do. Can you help us?
If you doubt the need for what we do in London, read what Chris Wright, former CEO of Catch22 says in this magazine.
He analyses how best to make a collective impression, applauding what we are doing at Fighting Knife Crime London. He adds that what we do is
“…for me a significant part of the answer”. He then explains why.
You can donate here or via the link on our Home page.
Bruce Houlder CB KC
Founder of Fighting Knife Crime London (FKCL)
www.fightingknifecrime.london
Further Reading
[1] https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7196531608646991874
