Sajid Javid's extra £500k helps the Evening Standard's fund to tackle crime top £2m mark

Home Secretary Sajid Javid branded youth violence a 'national emergency'
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The Home Office today gave £500,000 to the Standard’s campaign to tackle London’s violent crimewave by using the public health approach — taking the total raised to £2.1 million.

Home Secretary Sajid Javid branded the youth violence problem a “national emergency” and said he believed our Save London Lives programme would have “a significant impact” by supporting at-risk young people.

The public health model treats knife violence as a disease and has been used to dramatically reduce the murder rate in Glasgow.

It deploys a range of services including youth work, education, mental health, charities and police, to divert young people from gangs, rather than just the police-led enforcement approach which has failed in the past.

Experts now believe that the public health model — used to dramatically reduce violent crime in Glasgow — is the way to turn the tide

Mr Javid said: “I am immensely proud to be supporting the Evening Standard’s Save London Lives programme, which will have a significant impact in turning around the lives of vulnerable young Londoners.

“It is vital we divert young people away from violence and knife crime by providing them with the training and opportunities they need to fulfil their potential. A holistic, public health approach that sees various agencies treat the scourge of serious violence as a national emergency is also key in winning this battle.”

He added: “I commend the Standard for the work they are doing in this area and I am glad the money we are giving will help fund projects that are doing so much good in London.”

It comes after official figures revealed that London’s knife crimewave had helped to propel the number of blade offences nationwide to an all-time high.

The Office for National Statistics said that 14,725 knife crimes, including 74 homicides, were committed in the capital during 2018, representing a one per cent rise on the previous year.

This week McCaulay Junior Urugbezi-Edwards, 18, became the ninth teenager to be stabbed to death in London this year when he was chased down near Elephant and Castle.

The cash boost from the Home Office will support grassroots charities across London that are tackling knife crime and which will have already received backing in the Standard’s first three grant rounds.

Each group will be eligible for an additional top-up grant of approximately £7,000. Nick Hurd, minister for policing and the fire service and also minister for London, said: “Knife crime destroys lives and tears families apart. I have seen first-hand the difference that community groups can make in ending the cycle of violence.

"We are delighted to back the Standard’s Save London Lives programme, which will help to create positive alternatives for young people at risk of knife crime.”

The Home Office support follows our Violent London investigation last year which highlighted that a “trauma-informed” public health approach was more likely to be effective than a purely law enforcement one.

This heaped pressure on Mayor Sadiq Khan to change his youth violence strategy and to set up a Violence Reduction Unit adopting the public health approach, based on the successful Glasgow model.

It also comes on top of contributions of £580,000 and £600,000 made by The Citi Foundation and L&Q Foundation, the charitable arms of Citi bank and social housing landlord L&Q.

David Montague, chief executive of L&Q, said: “Youth violence is one of the most pressing issues facing London today, so we are delighted the Home Office has joined us in helping Save London Lives tackle this crisis.”

James Bardrick, head of Citi in the UK, said: “We all need to get behind the grassroots community organisations that are doing such a phenomenal job.” So far, 41 charities have been supported with grants and capacity-building workshops, with beneficiaries of the third grant round to be decided next month.

All the grants are administered by the London Community Foundation, the charity that manages Save London Lives and the Dispossessed Fund.

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