Milton Keynes City Council has launched a new programme to prevent young people from falling into a life of crime.
A brand new prevention programme, as part of ‘Focused Deterrence’, will see dedicated staff work with young people who have previously carried knives to reduce the likelihood of further offences.
The programme is aimed at young people between 11 and 25 and their families.
Help on offer includes access to a social worker, housing advice, referral to mental health services, educational guidance and more.
The idea is to remove structural barriers faced by young people which may lead them towards crime, including barriers to education and skills training.
Focused Deterrence is led by Milton Keynes City Council with the support of Thames Valley Police and the Government’s Violent Reduction Unit.
Cabinet Member for Public Realm, Cllr Lauren Townsend said: “This is just one of the many ways that we’re tackling violent crime in MK. We need prevention programmes like this that support young people from the outset who often get trapped into a vicious cycle of crime. We’ll be continuing the work we’re doing with our partners to support young people at a moment in their life where we can make a genuine difference to help them make the right choices.”
