Almost £400k of extra funding will be invested in intensive and targeted policing in Derbyshire to combat knife crime.
Derbyshire Police and Crime Commissioner Nicolle Ndiweni-Roberts has secured £387k from the Home Office’s Knife Crime Concentration Fund (KCCF) to tackle knife crime through ‘hyper local’ hotspot policing measures over the next 12 months.
Part of the funding will be invested in targeted, extra high-visibility patrols in key hotspots over the next six months where the risk of knife crime or public concerns are highest.
It will also fund data-driven tactics, enabling officers to use advanced mapping technology and intelligence to pinpoint precise high-risk locations and peak times alongside investment in local community-based, partnership intervention measures to tackle the root causes of knife crime. These could include focused deterrence activities for youths at risk.
Serious Violence including Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) is the highest of six priorities in the PCC’s Police and Crime Plan. More than half (54%) of residents ranked the issue as a ‘top three’ priority in the Commissioner’s first major consultation in office.
In response, the Commissioner vowed in her Plan to tackle knife crime and violence at every opportunity, including developing joint approaches to crack down on knife crime throughout Derbyshire and to proactively target activity based on need to deal with serious violence offending.
Police and Crime Commissioner Nicolle Ndiweni-Roberts said: “Tackling knife crime is a continuous year-round effort. This funding presents an opportunity to build on the ongoing work underway, using state-of-the-art technology to deliver results visibly and quickly.
“As a society, we cannot mourn any more young lives cruelly snatched by knife crime. Every tragedy is heartbreaking and preventable, rippling beyond grieving families into communities. Knives have no place in Derbyshire, and we must work even harder to get these dangerous weapons off our streets.
“Robust policing is a critical part of this, but equally we must continue to focus attention on changing minds and reducing risk. I am pleased this funding also recognises the powerful role preventative work in our communities plays in saving lives.”
Nationally, the Government is investing more than £26m into 27 forces across England and Wales as part of its ambition to halve knife crime within a decade.
The initiative sees identified zones receiving a dramatic surge in policing presence and activity, supported by a broad range of measures including live facial recognition, new CCTV installations, knife detection arches and mapping software pinpointing the exact streets and times that present the highest risk.
In Derbyshire, the force will also use Visibeat – geofencing software that accurately monitors police officer patrols in real time. This technology has been embedded into the Derbyshire force over the past 12 months.
The funding comes as the PCC secured almost £1m from the Home Office to invest in a wealth of evidence-backed preventative interventions proven to change futures and equip young people with the tools needed to stay safe and thrive.
The investment, part of the Serious Violence Duty, supports the collaborative work already underway to tackle serious violence.
Ends