Memorandum submitted by the Home Office
GOVERNMENT INITIATIVES TO TACKLE GUN AND
KNIFE CRIME SINCE 1997
HOME OFFICE
National Firearms Amnesty
The national firearms amnesty in April 2003
which ran for a month was a success, with 43,908 guns and over
a million rounds of ammunition handed in.
The Connected Fund
Launched in May 2004, the Connected Fund, a
straightforward, non-bureaucratic funding stream was designed
to assist small local community projects working to tackle gun
and knife crime and gun culture. To date, Home Office have provided
£1.75 million to over 400 community groups across the country
through six rounds. Types of projects include: mentoring schemes,
diversionary activities and support for victims and witnesses
of gun and knife violence.
Connected Conferences
In January 2004, the Home Office held a successful
conference in Birmingham, and a second event in May 2006 held
in Oxford, which brought together voluntary organisations, community
groups, law enforcement and Government policy officials to share
experiences and look at ways to tackle gun and knife crime. These
were highly interactive and stimulating events. Delegates explored
the causes of gun and knife crime as well as gang culture and
came up with a range of issues and proposals for action.
Connected Website
Delegates at the first event made clear for
the need of a central, co-ordinated knowledge base of information
on gun crime, contacts of organisations involved in anti-gun crime
measures, a searchable database of current projects and initiatives
in different areas, and access to funding. As a result, the Connected
website www.connected.gov.uk was set up to provide a "one-stop
shop" to give community groups the information they need
on funding and on other local organisations working to reduce
gun and knife crime.
Round Table on Gun and Knife crime
The Home Secretary hosts regular Round Table
meetings on gun crime, involving the police, community representatives
and policy officials. These meetings provide a framework for sharing
the experience of those involved in law enforcement and crime
prevention, and to obtain the views of the community and voluntary
sector. There have been 11 Round Tables to date and the next one
is scheduled in October.
National Knife Amnesty
From 24 May to 30 June 2006, 90,000 knives were
surrendered.
Tackling Gangs Action Programme
In September 2007, the Home Secretary set up
the Tackling Gangs Action Programme to focus renewed action in
neighbourhoods within Birmingham, Liverpool, London and Manchester
where guns and gangs have caused serious harm. The programme lasted
for six months to March 2008. It committed £1.5 million of
funds to build on enforcement work, community reassurance and
Third Sector delivery of support in the four TGAP areas. A monitoring
report detaiiing the impact TGAP has had on its target areas has
been published; and a Practical Guide for local areas which highlights
work being undertaken to tackle gangs in those areas affected
by gangs was launched in May.
A further £1 million was announced by the
Home Secretary on 22 May to be allocated for enforcement, intelligence,
safeguarding and prevention, and community reassurance.
Tackling Violence Action plan
On 18 February the government published the
"Tackling Violence Action Plan 2008", outlining plans
to cut homicide, knife crime, gun and gang-related crime and sexual
and domestic violence.
Key measures on gun and knife crime include:
— increasing likelihood to charge those
who are found carrying a knife;
— providing the police with 100 portable
knife arches and 400 search "wands" immediately, and
making more available over the next year to ensure this technology
is available where needed across the country. (This includes 350
search wands and 18 search arches across the four TGAP areas);
— national £3 million campaign
to challenge the "glamour", fear, and peer pressure
that can drive youngsters to knife crime, and working with the
"Be Safe" organisation to offer over one million young
people access to workshops on the dangers of weapons;
— investing over £20 million over
the next three years to support the rollout of multi-agency interventions
and information sharing, involving local police, local councils,
voluntary groups, and health workers across the country, to manage
and identify people at risk of committing serious violence as
well as providing support for victims;
— new controls on deactivated firearms;
— working with police to identify key
gang members, enhance the use of covert surveillance, and implement
targeted, multi-agency crackdowns; and
— working with industry to tackle offensive
content on the internet and the representation of violence in
video games, films and other media.
Knife Crime marketing campaign
In addition to focused local action, the Home
Office launched on 29 May 2008 a knife marketing campaign investing
£3 million over three years aimed at reducing youth knife
possession. Developed by young people, the message "It doesn't
have to happen" is being conveyed through posters, radio
ads, viral video sharing and social networking sites. The campaign
also focuses on engaging with mothers to encourage them to talk
to their children about the dangers of carrying knives.
Tackling Knives Action Programme
Announced on 5 June 2008, TKAP is focusing £2
million of resources on rapid, intensive work in 10 areas of the
country to tackle teenage knife crime. The forces have also stepped
up youth engagement activity and are committed to providing specific
educational packages for schools and events informing young people
of the dangers of carrying knives. They are working closely with
hospitals to share data on knife injuries and are carrying out
home visits and sending letters to parents of young people where
intelligence suggests they are suspected of carrying knives.
Gangs Guide to Parents
Launched on 2 September 2008, "Gangs; You
and Your Child", offers practical advice to parents to help
prevent their child getting involved in gangs, and who to turn
to for support if they suspect that their child is already involved.
30,000 copies were initially distributed to parents in targeted
areas within London, Manchester, Birmingham and Liverpool via
the policing channels, the CDRPs and community organisations.
A further 250,000 copies will be rolled out by the end of the
year.
GUN AND
KNIFE CRIME
LEGISLATION
Under the Criminal Justice Act 2003, we introduced
the five year mandatory minimum sentence (three years for 16-17
year olds).
The Anti-Social Behaviour Act 2003 made it an
offence to carry an imitation or air gun in public without lawful
authority or reasonable excuse. Also introduced the ban on the
sale, manufacture and import of guns that use self contained gas
cartridge systems, for example Brococks.
The 2006 Violent Crime Reduction Act has made
the following changes:
— On 1 October, the sentence for carrying
imitation firearms was increased from six months to 12 months.
— On 1 October 2007, the age limit
for purchasing an air weapon increased to 18 years old.
— From April 2007, a new offence of
using someone to mind a weapon was created.
— In May 2007, we clarified the law
to ensure that 18-20 year olds can receive a mandatory minimum
sentence of five years' detention for unlawful possession of a
prohibited firearm.
— In October 2007, a ban on the sale,
manufacture and importation of realistic imitation firearms was
implemented.
Are currently looking at how we can get deactivated
firearms off our streets.
The knife crime provisions of the Violent Crime
Reduction Act 2006 are as follows:
— Since February 2007, the maximum
sentence for possessing a knife or blade in a public place was
doubled from two to four years.
— Since April 2007, it became an offence
to use someone to mind a weapon, with a maximum sentence of four
years.
— Since May 2007, school staff have
had the power to search all pupils for weapons.
— Since October 2007 we increased tie
age at which someone can legally be sold a knife from 16-18.
— Since April 2008 banned samuri swords.
— PM announced on 4 June that anyone
aged 16 and over caught in possession of aknife can expect to
be prosecuted on the first offence.
— Sentencing Guidelines Council guidance
recently issued to magistrates gives a starting-point of a short
custodial sentence for offences of possession of a knife (12 weeks
for adults).
— HO and YJB developing a knife referral
project for young people convicted of knife crime—forcing
them to confront consequences of carrying knife.
INITIATIVES FROM
OTHER GOVERNMENT
DEPARTMENTS
National Strategy for Neighbourhood Renewal
National Strategy Action Plan was launched in
January 2001. It set out the Government's clear vision that within
10 to 20 years nobody should be seriously disadvantaged by where
they live. The focus was not just on housing and the physical
fabric of neighbourhoods, but on fundamental problems of worklessness,
crime and poor public services, poor schools, too few GPs and
policing. The Strategy puts in place new ideas including Neighbourhood
Management and Local Strategic Partnerships for empowering residents
and getting public, private and voluntary organisations to work
in partnership.
Together and Respect Agenda (2004-08)
The Together campaign worked to improve the
response to tackling anti-social behaviour by putting the needs
of the local community first.
The Respect campaign continued the drive to
tackle anti-social behaviour and adopted a broader and deeper
approach to intervene early and tackle underlying causes of anti-social
behaviour.
Youth Taskforce
Youth Taskforce was established at the Department
for Children, Schools and Families to focus on delivering positive
outcomes for young people—including steps to prevent them
getting into trouble and encouraging them to have respect for
their community.
DCSF will provide on-going funding of up to
£18 million over the next three years to sustain the recently
established network of 53 Family Intervention Projects. The Respect
Taskforce's work on preventing and tackling anti-social behaviour
will continue but will come under the new Youth Taskforce underlining
the importance of young people in their enhanced role.
On 18 March 2008 the Youth Taskforce Action
Plan was launched and introduced a new dimension—Youth Capital
Fund Plus—to provide additional funding to improve youth
facilities in the most deprived areas, the same areas which will
also benefit from the expansion of the Youth Opportunity Fund.
A total of £220 million has been secured for the Funds over
the next three years.
Accelerated Extending Schools
Home Office are working with DCSF on rolling out
the extended schools programme to provide activities and support
to young people and parents in areas of high crime activity. A
key way of delivering Every Child Matters, an extended
school works with local providers, agencies (and in many cases
other schools) to provide access to a core offer of extended services:
a varied range of activities including study support activities
for primary and secondary schools; childcare 8.00 am-6.00 pm,
all year round for primary schools; parenting and family support;
swift and easy access to specialist services such as speech therapy;
community use of facilities including adult and family learning
and ICT—these will often be provided beyond the school day
but not necessarily by teachers or on the school site.
There are currently around 9,900 schools (more
than 1 in 3) providing access to extended services in partnership
with focal providers; the aim is for all schools to be doing this
by 2010.
Safer Schools Partnerships
Originally launched in areas targeted by the
Street Crime Initiative in 2002, there are now over 400 SSPs in
one form or another across the country. Under the SSP scheme,
a dedicated police officer Is allocated to one school or a group
of schools, often based on-site to work with pupils, school staff
and the wider community to identify and work with young people
who are at risk, of poor behaviour, truancy, victimisation, offending
or social exclusion.
Positive Futures
Positive Futures is a national sports based
social inclusion programme which is funded by the Home Office
in partnership with the Football Foundation. The programme aims
to have a positive influence on young people's lives through widening
their horizons and providing access to new opportunities by using
sport, art and leisure activities as a catalyst to encourage project
participation and steering young people towards education, training
and employment.
The programme has been in operation since 2001
and the number of projects has grown to over 120 projects. The
projects operate in each of the 30 areas worst affected by drug-related
crime in the country. The Home Office is providing £5.9 million
of funding for the programme in 2008-09.
Youth Crime Action Plan (July 2008)
Published In July 2008, YCAP sets out a "triple
track" approach of enforcement and punishment where behaviour
is unacceptable, non-negotiable support and challenge where it
is most needed, and better and earlier prevention. The YCAP will
deliver an extensive and comprehensive package of measures for
children, young people and families which will be backed by £100
million of extra funding to help prevent young people from getting
involved in crime. It addresses a number of key themes around
Prevention and Early Intervention, Enforcement, Justice and Rehabilitation,
and Victims.
Youth Opportunity Fund, and Capital Funds (2008)
The Youth Opportunity and Capital Funds provide
discrete revenue and capital budgets for young people to control
and decide how money should be spent on positive activities and
youth facilities in their area. Funded activities must support
the five Every Child Matters outcomes, benefit the local
community and offer good value for money. The involvement of young
people, especially disadvantaged young people, is central to the
Funds. Giving young people genuine influence over local services
is recognised as the most effective way of ensuring better access
and increasing participation in positive activities.
Youth Sector Development fund
Up to £100 million will be available over
the next three years from April 2008 through the Youth Sector
Development Fund to support effective Third Sector organisations
with the objective of helping them to become self-sustaining through
a mixture of grant funding and business support. The Fund encourages
applications from organisations which provide services to society's
most vulnerable young people, and particularly those whose work
has a focus on preventing young people from committing crime,
or becoming involved in anti-social behaviour, and those that,
through the provision of positive activities, provide engaging
and constructive alternatives for our young people.
RECOVERY OF
ASSETS OF
CRIME
Recovering the Proceeds of Crime
The Performance and Innovation Unit (Cabinet
Office) undertook a nine month study and reported in June 2000
on the effectiveness of pursuing and removing criminal assets
as part of the fight against crime and particularly against serious
and organised crime and how to maximise the effective use of these
techniques. This resulted in raising the profile of asset recovery
generally and specifically in the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 which
set up the Assets Recovery Agency, strengthened confiscation procedures
and money laundering offences, introduced non-conviction civil
abilities to recover proceeds and widened the availability of
new financial investigation powers.
Recovered Asset Incentive Scheme
Introduced in 2006-07 by which an amount of
assets recovered is recycled into law enforcement (investigation
bodies, prosecutors and enforcement authorities) to encourage
police forces and agencies to focus resources in asset recovery.
There was an earlier scheme in respect of the police alone. The
split of incentivisation money between investigators, prosecutors
and enforcement agencies is currently under review. The Home Office
administers this scheme and also uses some of the recovered money
for core funding, including the multi-agency Regional Asset Recovery
Teams (approx £8 million per annum).
Asset Recovery Action Plan
A Home Office consultation document (May 2007)
on how to build on major successes of recent years. Key messages
were to double the amount recovered per annum to £250 million
by 2009-10, to look at improved cooperation for successful delivery
and consider options for additional powers. We look to introduce
new powers when Parliamentary time permits and a suitable legislative
vehicle is identified.
YOUTH JUSTICE
BOARD
— Funding for the YJB has increased
by 49% between 2000-01 and 2007-/08.
— As more money has gone into more
sanctions and detections—so a higher proportion of young
people committing crime are getting caught and receiving interventions
to tackle their offending behaviour and help prevent re-offending.
Since it was established in 1998 the total YJB
budget of £2,939 million has been spent as follows:
(a) £1,992 million (68%) on purchasing remand
and custodial places for offenders.
(b) £930 million (31%) on grants to local
authorities and other bodies to support the development of effective
practice.
(c) £17 million (1%) on commissioning research
and publishing information.
Improvements in youth justice since 1996
In 1996 the National Audit Office identified
fundamental failings.
By 2004 there had been material progress in
addressing these issues:
— Time from arrest to sentence had
been substantially reduced (142 days to 71 2001-03).
— Young offenders were much more likely
to receive an intervention to address the causes of their offending.
— Multi-agency YOTs provided a way
of coordinating services previously unavailable.
— Ring-fenced YJB budget for prevention
(£99 million in 2007 CSR settlement supplement by pilot budget
pooling with Children's Services).
October 2008
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