Further action urged on youth crime

22nd July 2009

The number of mortalities from knife crime has risen in areas targeted by a government anti-knife crime strategy, according to government figures.

The Home Office launched the Tackling Knives Action Programme last July across 10 areas in England.

But, in total, targeted areas have seen 126 deaths, seven more than in the same period last year.

Home secretary Alan Johnson said that much work still needed to be done to prevent youths from participating in anti-social behaviour.

Johnson joined justice secretary Jack Straw and children's secretary Ed Balls today to call on local authorities to tackle "out-of-control" families, who need help to prevent their children becoming involved anti-social behaviour.

Under new government proposals, families are placed under supervision to address underlying health problems such as alcohol or drug abuse.

The Family Intervention Projects (FIPs) have already been used on 2,000 families. But ministers plan to expand the project to 20,000 more families in the next two years.

An additional £6m in Department of Health funding will be made available for health workers liaising with every FIP.

Children's secretary Ed Balls said the projects should be introduced for all local authorities because "every area has families that need support".

He stated: "I am determined that there should be no room for failure with youth offending teams and we are looking to strengthen the government's intervention powers so that we can direct councils to make the substantial improvements that are necessary to protect the public and prevent re-offending."

New powers for ministers to intervene with a failing local authority, were also announced by justice secretary Jack Straw.

Straw stated that he wanted failing local Youth Offending Teams to "raise their game".

He added: "By directing local authorities to revamp Youth Offending Teams, imposing targets for improvement, and even sending in a team of youth justice experts to help improve practice, I believe that we can turn them around."

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