Schools across England will receive dedicated support to prevent knife crime incidents in a hyper-targeted Home Office program which uses mapping technology to identify at-risk areas down to the level of specific groups of streets.
Under the £1.2million scheme – part of a series of initiatives launched as part of a Government pledge to halve knife crime within a decade – up to 250 schools will be helped.
The safety partnership in and around schools will identify schools most in need of support using Home Office mapping technology, which can identify the locations where knife crime is most likely to occur as students travel to and from school, the department said.
The Home Office said it could identify areas up to 0.1 square km or just a few streets, allowing police to prioritize specific places and times where stabbings have occurred in the past.
This support will include training school leaders on the risks of knife crime and general support to schools on measures to help child safety. This may include mentoring particular at-risk students or using chaperones on school routes.
Of the 250 schools, the most intensive support will be targeted at the 50 schools with the highest levels of school-related knife crime. This help may include ensuring that vulnerable children have a trusted adult they can contact.
The scheme has been welcomed by charities tackling youth knife crime. John Yates, executive director of the Youth Endowment Fund, which works to tackle violence among young people, said: “We know what works to prevent knife crime: a trusted adult, someone to talk to, social and emotional support, opportunities like sport.
“This government-backed program aims to extend this support to as many of our school children as possible.”
However, Chris Phillips, the shadow home secretary, criticized the plan, saying the government created a risk to children by placing too few police officers in school security.
He called on ministers to support Conservative plans for a major expansion of police stop and search operations.
The Police Minister, Sarah Jones, said: “No child should be afraid to go to school. That’s why we must stop violence ever happening again.”
“With the right support, the right opportunities and the right interventions in the right places, we can stop harm before a young person is put at risk.”
