Project Guardian
NPCC 17th July 2019
| PROJECT TEAM STRUCTURE
| SUMMER VIOLENCE PREVENTION Intelligence
COLLECTION -plans via schools, partners and enhanced by Guardian funds and central tactical intelligence. Youth Violence Surveys being used as an extension of “A conversation with every child”.
DISSEMINATION – Now managed by central Guardian Intel function ACTION. Increased activity to inform any use of Sec 60, other tactical options and/or diversion.
All single strand intelligence followed up by a disruption visit on Guardian OT. School FIB’s prioritized on Guardian OT.
Place INTELLIGENCE -IPlans outlining violence hotspots, times and catalytic events.
Responsive and agile intel function allows for deployment towards emergent risk TACTICS - Guardian funds made available to enhance tactical response. Knife arches, County Lines, Safer Travel
Op Forecast moving into Guardian Control via Ground commander function Absorption of BW/BE P4 diary into FCID via Guardian funds allows for a more bespoke response in the highest risk locations. O be
widened to whole force
People ARREST - the offending cohort (even where the WM offence is not knife related) identified through FCID and Guardian Intel are targeted
through NPU Guardian activity and “days of action” with strong links to investigation to improve outcomes. OM – Guardian visits conducted via LOMU to risk cohort, and referrals and diversion activity conducted
SAFEGUARDING -Identification of troubled families so that sibling and child intervention can be considered at earliest opportunity.
| SUMMER VIOLENCE PREVENTION Partners
SCHOOLS - knife inputs delivered towards close of term, with signposting delivered for summer diversion activities STATUTORY PARTNERS –Fire and Youth services assisting in summer diversionary activities
THIRD SECTOR – Utilization of social responsibility funds from knife selling businesses Sports clubs and Safe Haven, Kicks, Positive, Youth Foundation,
ACTIVE CITIZENS – Street Watch and volunteers used to support weapon sweeps, LEGITIMACY – Police support for BAME safe place events etc…
Investigation GOLDEN HOUR – Guardian Car golden hour response to improve investigative outcomes for robbery and serious violence in Birmingham
DISPOSALS - Alternative disposal work also ongoing. CASE PROGRESSION – Recruitment of bespoke case progression staff for Guardian offences.
Diversion VRU – funds released for VRU, the senior police representative being the Diversion Lead for Guardian.
SCHOOLS – various summer activities and diversion provision across the force, as listed in brief on previous slide. PEOPLE – Offenders, siblings, children identified and then supportively managed through OM, 3rd sector and partners
Media and Coms Guardian Coms Team co-ordinating the #lifeorknife campaign and publicizing Guardian activity
| POSITIVE INTERVENTION ACTIVITY
Knife related violence for the relevant age cohort has
fallen back to, or below the process average, and
routinely below the levels seen in early 2018.
Birmingham accounts for more than half of the total
offences in the force 14/26 in the last recorded period,
and Birmingham has begun to stabilise, impacting the
entirety of force performance. This stabilisation is
against seasonally expected decreases. Continued
activity is required into Darker Nights which sees seasonal increases.
There are currently three clusters in relation to knife
enabled serious violence committed by under 25s, which
are in Birmingham City Centre (BW), Coventry City
Centre (CV) & Pennfields (WV).
It is worthy of note that Robbery (see next slide) is one of
the primary drivers of knife enabled serious violence.
| PROJECT SPEND
| VIOLENCE PREVENTION ALLIANCE Existing Work within the VPA
• Primary Prevention in Education: Lead programme
– Mentors in Violence Prevention (MVP): Schools
based peer mentoring, active bystander
programme to empower students as positive
leaders in their environments. Currently working in
45 schools across the West Midlands
• Primary Prevention - Core Support of intelligence
& evidence: Injury Surveillance System: Primary
Prevention - ACE Coordinators – launched
January 2019 as a pilot in Sandwell and Dudley.
• Tertiary Prevention in Secondary Care: Lead
Programme – Redthread/ST Giles Trust:
Provision of youth workers in A&E departments to
work with patients under 25 affected by violence,
providing initial intervention & support into a local
youth service.
• Tertiary Prevention in Primary Care: Lead
programme - IRIS (Identification and Referral to
Improve Safety): An initiative training GP practice
staff to identify patients effected by DA
WMP has an existing Violence Prevention Alliance (VPA), established in
2015 which creates a solid foundation for a Violence Reduction Unit
(VRU).The West Midlands has been allocated £3.7 million from HO to
create a VRU.
Our strategy has six critical strands within the proposed framework which
define success:
• Strong Foundations (local and regional partnerships focussed on
prevention, the populations with most to gain, and the contribution
each partner can make.
• Primary Prevention (stop violence before it starts; tackle root
causes, including inclusion, diversity and community cohesion)
• Secondary Prevention (stop the progression of violence - early
detection and intervention; managing risk factors)
• Tertiary Prevention (rehabilitate – support for victims and
perpetrators; use of ‘teachable moments’; alternatives to
criminalisation)
• Enforcement & Criminal Justice (prevent further violence for those
in the CJ system)
• Attitudinal Change (use communications to help change social
norms)
| WEST YORKSHIRE CASE STUDY
| WEST YORKSHIRE CASE STUDY
| WEST YORKSHIRE CASE STUDY
| WEST YORKSHIRE CASE STUDY
| WEST YORKSHIRE CASE STUDY
| WEST YORKSHIRE CASE STUDY
| WEST YORKSHIRE CASE STUDY
| STAFFS CASE STUDY
| STAFFS CASE STUDY
| STAFFS CASE STUDY
| STAFFS CASE STUDY
| ISSUES FROM FORCES - TIMESCALES
12 months is not a strategic timeframe;
you can’t plan meaningfully in that
little time
You can’t recruit officers with 12 months funding, who pays
for them when it runs out?
Where’s the second years funding? When will it be
confirmed? And the 7 forces to 18 forces attempt to cut up an
already meagre pie is a problem.
This funding, while welcome, is just a knee-jerk and doesn’t
provide the longevity we need.
The funding deadlines make it impossible to
spend this properly. We’ve got 11 months basically
and we need some over-spill into next year
This is a generational problem, we need a
generational solution
TIMESCALES
| ISSUES FROM FORCES - ALIENATION
The “re-wording” of Section 60 doesn’t help. A tactical
response in isolation from a strong diversionary
architecture is pointless.
These kids are alienated from society and the police,
more “robust” policing won’t cure what’s ailing.
They need aspiration, social mobility and better health
and mental health care
Upping stop and search after years of reducing it is causing issues. It’s not a deterrent, so much as it’s a
novel experience for a whole generation of young people and it’s
making them angry. They’re the next generation of voters.
My partners are alienated by this too, we’ve got money to
“solve” a problem that they’re better placed to respond to, yet
they’ve not even been consulted, let alone paid.
ALIENATION
| ISSUES FROM FORCES - PARTNERSHIP
This is a generational problem, we need a
generational solution
You can’t arrest your way out of this, yellow jackets are not
the answer. We need to invest in youth services and create legitimate routes for young people to aspire to
This is all driven by poverty and inequality, but the police can’t
address that, it’s the government’s job to fund the systems into which we would
divert, if we could
We know what works. Glasgow, Chicago,
whoever you use as the example, a long term co-coordinated approach is
necessary
The “re-wording” of Section 60
doesn’t help. A tactical response in
isolation from a strong diversionary
architecture is pointless.
This is operational surge related, yet the OPCC pushes much of it towards diversion,
reducing our efficacy in delivering against the short
term metrics provided.
My partners are alienated by this too, we’ve got money to
“solve” a problem that they’re better placed to respond to, yet they’ve not even been consulted, let alone paid.
PARTNERSHIP