Early intervention for knife crime offenders

Last week, the government announced a new measure to help tackle youth knife crime where every child caught carrying a knife in England and Wales will now receive a mandatory, targeted plan designed to prevent reoffending and address the root causes of their behaviour. Under this policy, police will refer every young person found with a blade to Youth Justice Services, a multi-agency partnership spanning health, education, social care and community support. These tailored plans are intended to provide intensive, coordinated intervention to address exploitation, trauma, disengagement from education and other underlying factors that can lead to offending.

This shift towards structured early intervention is one I strongly support. As your Police and Crime Commissioner, I have long maintained that enforcement alone cannot solve knife crime and youth violence. While swift and visible action remains essential, it must be combined with meaningful, preventative support from partners if we are to steer young people away from harm and towards positive futures.

That conviction underpins the work we are already progressing locally. I have established a Violence Reduction and Prevention (VRP) team within my Office to strengthen Dorset’s response to serious violence. Since becoming PCC, I have lobbied government for a dedicated Violence Reduction Unit for Dorset to help ensure our county -currently the fifth safest in the country - remains among the safest. While I will continue pressing for the necessary funding, the VRP team has been created to assess local need, identify gaps in provision and develop a comprehensive strategy to reduce violence. Working closely with policing, local authorities, health, education and the voluntary sector, the team is focused on addressing the drivers of serious violence within our existing capabilities.

It is important to place this work in context. Knife crime in Dorset has fallen by 19% over the past year, from 296 offences to 239 (October 2024 – September 2025, ONS). As a result, Dorset now records the lowest number of knife crime offences in the south west and the second lowest in England. This progress reflects the diligence and professionalism of Dorset Police, working in close partnership with other agencies and our communities.

However, maintaining these low levels requires sustained effort and a continued emphasis on prevention. In Dorset, we are focused on this, with a key example demonstrated in Dorset Police’s focused deterrence work, which identifies individuals at highest risk at an early stage, brings partners together to offer support and sets clear expectations and consequences, all with the aim of preventing escalation into serious violence.

Alongside focused deterrence, education and awareness play a vital role. Dorset’s Safer Schools and Communities Team delivers tailored programmes in schools, including FAKE (Firearms and Knife Education) sessions. These powerful presentations help young people understand the real-world consequences of carrying a knife and empower them to make safer choices.

We are also intervening at critical moments of vulnerability. A new initiative I have co-funded, the Emergency Department Youth Workers scheme, places trained youth workers in the emergency departments at hospitals in Bournemouth and Poole. Supporting young people aged 11–25 who present following violence or related harm, the scheme harnesses these “reachable moments” to reduce the risk of future involvement in violence. By addressing the complex factors that often sit behind such incidents, youth workers provide practical and emotional support at a point when it can have the greatest impact.

While Dorset’s knife crime rates remain comparatively low, complacency is not an option. I am committed to continued working with partners across policing, health, education and the voluntary sector to ensure no young person slips through the gaps. Through sustained early intervention, clear deterrence and compassionate support, we can protect young lives and make Dorset an even safer place to live, work and grow up.

David Sidwick

Dorset Police and Crime Commissioner