Positive change in the battle against serious violence across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight

A series of key intervention programmes funded by the Police and Crime Commissioner, Donna Jones, to tackle serious violence are making a difference across the two counties.

It comes as Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary reveals that 281 knives were seized last week during Operation Sceptre, the national week of action to clamp down on knife crime.

PCC Donna Jones said: “When I became the Police Commissioner in 2021 it was clear that intervention schemes for young people were urgently needed to support the police to reduce serious violence. I’m pleased the support services I commissioned are having an impact and bringing about much-needed change.

“Early intervention, education, addressing the root causes, understanding why young people don’t feel safe and reaching out to families and community leaders – these are all key drivers in tackling the complexities of serious violence. This data reveals that my partnership approach and our collective responsibility are the right way forward.”

Interventions include A&E Navigators in hospitals for young people who are admitted and need help, programmes in schools that address knife crime, custody navigators for those who need to be diverted away from criminality, and grant funding for innovative projects in communities.

The programmes were commissioned by the PCC’s Violence Reduction Unit (VRU) which works in partnership to reduce violence among under 25 year olds. Over the last 12 months, the VRU has achieved a 4.8% reduction in serious violence compared to the previous year.

Earlier this year, the PCC also announced the Violence Reduction Partnership, a 25 strong partner agency collaboration to prevent and reduce violence across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.

PCC Donna Jones said: “I will continue to do all I can to prevent families and communities being devastated by serious violence that plunges them into their darkest days causing wave upon wave of devastation and emotional trauma.”

What are the interventions?

A&E Navigator programme – involves youth workers who support children and young people who arrive at hospital in need of help, either having been a victim of violence, or are at risk of violence. Since 2022, the scheme has been rolled out across five A&E departments in Basingstoke, the Isle of Wight, Portsmouth, Southampton and Winchester, and has supported 1,379 children and young people.

Choices – a violence prevention programme in schools for children aged 10-12 years old. The intervention helps young people explore the risks of knife crime and serious violence and aims to equip them with skills to make positive choices in risky or challenging situations. The programme has supported 2,247 children and 225 teaching staff to deliver the programme.

Trauma Informed Practitioners (TIPs) – TIPs support police in understanding how trauma affects people’s behaviour. They provide support to police on duty across five teams in Portsmouth and Waterlooville. From March 2023 to April 2024, TIPs have attended 481 in person incidents, held 33 police training sessions and conducted 144 incident review sessions held with police officers.

Project RESET – custody navigators offer voluntary support to 18-25 year olds who have been arrested. So far, the intervention programme has supported 297 young people.

The Police and Crime Commissioner also awarded funding totalling £330K to 18 successful applications that applied to her Violence Reduction Fund. These interventions are supporting more than 800 children and young people across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.