I am delighted to lend my support to this important initiative. My fellow DL Bruce Houlder has galvanised multiple agencies to produce a truly collaborative resource that will engage and empower the community of greater London in the fight against knife violence.
As a health care professional who has spent his career treating the victims of knife and gun violence, the desire to understand and resolve the drivers of community violence compelled me to seek out and develop an evidence base to power programmes that have been effective not only in reducing the vulnerability of those at risk of being drawn into the youth violence, but more importantly facilitating the empowerment of those individuals and communities rejecting this path so that they can actively contribute to building a stronger and more cohesive society.
The narrative driving youth violence is pernicious and must be challenged at all levels, be it in a trusted relationship between a young person and a carer, or between a family and an agency seeking to support them. However, those seeking to access help often encounter difficulty in connecting with the resources that will support them in their journey of empowerment and self-knowledge allowing them to make active choices.
The development of a repository of available services allows us to identify those with skills tailored to the specific needs of individuals and communities in their locality and to document the range of offers available to those seeking novel solutions to community violence. Moreover, "Fighting Knife Crime - London" will allow agencies to amplify and co-ordinate their influence in a manner that will be truly impactful.
The development of a virtual community that can access and refine resource, shape care, and develop novel solutions is a game changing advance. When combined with an academic arm that permits the objective analysis of programmes, we will have the opportunity to identify what works, and more importantly, why.
"Fighting Knife Crime -London" aligns perfectly with the multi-agency, evidence-based reframing of approaches to understand and resolve the violence affecting our communities that typify the public health approach to violence reduction, and I look forward to engaging and supporting the communities that will access this much needed resource.
Martin Griffiths
National Clinical Director for Violence Reduction
NHS England
