Government to establish unit dedicated to preventing crime among young people

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper says it will aim to give teenagers the best start in life

A unit dedicated to preventing violent crime among young people will be established by the Government, to give teenagers the best start in life, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has said.

The “young futures” unit will include setting up youth hubs and identifying those most at risk of being drawn into violence, exploitation, crime and anti-social behaviour.

Ms Cooper said teenagers today have it “much, much harder” than previous generations, because they face pressures from social media, county lines, and child criminal exploitation.

Speaking to The Guardian, she said: “It’s part of our cross-government mission to halve serious violence and also rebuild confidence in policing and the criminal justice system.

“As part of that, the young futures programme is a 10-year vision, about how we prevent young people being drawn into crime in the first place, and also about how we give their future back.”

Plans for young futures hubs have previously been proposed by the Labour Party, and at last year’s party conference Ms Cooper announced an ambition to spend £100 million on the policy, which also aims to improve mental health services for young people.

Councils and police forces will have until Christmas to put proposals in place to tackle crime among young people, according to The Guardian.

The unit forms part of the Government’s ambition to halve knife crime and levels of violence against women and girls within the next ten years.

In the interview with the newspaper, Ms Cooper expressed frustration at the lack of progress when it comes to violence against women and girls, adding: “For too long it’s been treated as something that will just always be there.”

She described the recent Southport attack, in which three young girls were killed in a mass stabbing at a holiday club event themed on Taylor Swift, as “deeply traumatic and just absolutely awful”.

Published: 17/08/2024 by Radio NewsHub