Angelique Foster, Derbyshire Police and Crime Commissioner, has announced details of a funding package worth £467k to support those at risk of involvement in serious violence.
The Commissioner and a team of multi-agency partners working together as part of the Serious Violence Partnership have agreed grants to eight organisations across Derbyshire and Derby City to protect people from being drawn into serious violence.
The investment fulfils the partners' responsibilities to implement the Government's Serious Violent Duty.
The Duty came into effect on 31st January 2023 and requires organisations to work together to reduce and prevent serious violence in their local areas.
The Commissioner, together with key representatives from the Serious Violence Partnership such as the City Council, County Council, Public Health and the Police, have agreed to fund a raft of evidence-based interventions to give people the specialist support and skills they need to turn their backs on violence and achieve their full potential.
It comes after the Commissioner secured government funding worth more than £1million over the next three years to tackle serious violence and knife crime.
Among the grants agreed is £90k to specialist child exploitation charity Safe and Sound to deliver bystander training throughout 2024-25 to selected primary and secondary schools. The training will give pupils the skills they need to recognise and safely respond to problematic attitudes and behaviours that contribute to violent culture.
In a separate project, the partnership has agreed funding worth £30k to deliver an early intervention, educational workshop programme in schools within Derby City focused on violence reduction utilising Virtual Reality (VR) headsets.
Other schemes supported include the deployment of wellbeing workers to mentor young people aged 18-25 leaving care, many of whom are likely to have a number of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) putting them at risk of involvement in serious violence and support for the Walk Away One Punch campaign - an intervention to reduce and prevent the types of serious violence that do not involve weapons, which accounts for most serious violence across the county. The funding will also support a schools' exclusion programme.
Police and Crime Commissioner Angelique Foster said: "The interventions funded through this programme have been evidence-based and data driven as identified in our recent Strategic Needs Assessment. This ensures public funds are being used in the most effective way to make a difference to the lives of those at risk and increase the safety of our public spaces for all.
"Fortunately, Derbyshire and Derby City do not suffer the same level of violence as other areas, but the risks nevertheless persist, particularly in relation to County Lines exploitation. It is imperative we work proactively to respond to any threats to prevent violence from getting a foothold in our communities. We have a duty to give all young people the support and tools they need to make safe choices to protect themselves and others from harm.
"These unique projects are designed to help partners unravel the complex issues that fuel violence and work with those most susceptible of being drawn into it to deliver behavioural change before it escalates into serious offending. The significant funding I secured from the Government will enable us to target interventions to those most at need and provide support at a critical stage of these individuals' transition from children to young adults."
The Commissioner has made it a priority in her Police and Crime Plan that police and criminal justice partners work in a targeted and sustained way to tackle and reduce knife and violent crime. She has also pledged to take a proactive approach to reduce reoffending.