£130.5 million to tackle serious violence, murder and knife crime

The government is making over £130 million available to tackle serious violent crime – including murder and knife crime – in the coming year, Home Secretary Priti Patel announced today (Monday 8 March).

The funding will enable a programme of work to prevent some of the most serious types of crime and deliver safer communities for the British public.

The package includes:
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• £30 million to support the police to take targeted action in parts of England and Wales most affected by serious violence*: this is new money, following over £100 million in surge funding that has been provided to police over the past 2 years and which has already seen over 100,000 weapons seized by police and thousands of hours of enforcement activity in hotspot areas – including increased patrols, weapons sweeps, and stop and search
• up to £23 million for new early intervention programmes that will help stop young people from being drawn into violence: this includes programmes which use significant moments in a young person’s life – such as when they enter police custody or accident and emergency – as opportunities for trained professionals to engage and divert young people away from violence

The funding comes ahead of the introduction of a major criminal justice bill, which will:

• give police new stop and search powers to tackle known knife and weapons carriers
• place a duty on public sector bodies – including police, education and health agencies – to take a joined-up approach to addressing serious violence
• require local agencies to review the circumstances when an adult homicide takes place involving offensive weapons, such as knives, to ensure lessons are learnt and future deaths are prevented

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