The House of Commons Home Affairs Committee today published a new report on serious youth violence. The report is highly critical of the current policy, labelling the government’s Serious Violence Strategy as "a completely inadequate response". As well as recommending more investment in policing, the report calls for a series of measure to tackle the root causes of violent crime, including reforming the school exclusions system and increased funding for youth services and outreach work.
Commenting on the report, Enver Solomon, CEO of Just for Kids Law, said:
“Every day we come across young people who have been pulled into a current of crime due to factors such as school exclusions, lack of support in the care system and failures by local authorities to protect them from criminal exploitation. We welcome that this report doesn’t stop at calling for more police officers, but recognises that real solutions need to get to the root cause for why children get caught up in crime in the first place. The police can’t arrest their way out of this problem. If the government is going to make a difference to the lives of children and young people we work with, it will need to take note of the MPs’ recommendations and listen more to the voices of the young people directly affected by street violence.”
