Reducing knife crime in Lancashire is a priority that requires a collaborative, multi-faceted approach. Through the support of GRIP funding, we are enhancing visible policing in selected areas most affected by violent crime, with increased high-visibility patrols and problem-solving activities. This funding also strengthens our ability to identify crime hotspots through intelligence and analysis, allowing us to implement proactive strategies that target the root causes of violence.
Beyond policing, we are working closely with partners, schools, and communities to address knife crime at its core. We support tailored educational workshops, often delivered by individuals with lived experience of knife crime, to help young people understand the risks and consequences of carrying knives.
By collaborating with communities to identify priorities and targeted interventions, we are building on local strengths and addressing the broader harms caused by knife crime. Recognising the trauma experienced by victims, we are also committed to ensuring front-line workers are equipped to provide trauma-informed support.
Our law enforcement strategy is central to reducing knife crime, focusing on quick responses, prevention, and enforcement through a combination of targeted actions.
Through crime data analysis, 21 violent crime hotspots have been identified and are patrolled by uniformed officers following a random schedule, typically between 6pm and 2am. This high-visibility policing ensures a consistent presence in areas and at times where communities are most vulnerable to violent crime. Patrols are short but impactful, and often lead to long-term problem-solving solutions addressing the root causes of violence.
The GRIP funding has strengthened partnerships within Community Safety Partnerships, fostering collaboration on issues like violence against women and girls. GRIP funding has also supported two weeks each year of focused activity under Operation Sceptre, uniting various tactics to prevent knife crime.
Education is a big part of how we work to prevent knife crime in Lancashire. By partnering with organisations like local football community trusts, The Message Trust, and campaigners with lived experience, we deliver engaging sessions that help young people understand the dangers of carrying knives and making unsafe choices.
We visit schools, youth settings, and communities to provide workshops, talks, and interactive sessions that focus on the real-life consequences of knife crime. These sessions often feature powerful stories from individuals who have been directly impacted by violence, helping young people to see the bigger picture and think about their own choices. Many of these sessions include opportunities for young people to ask questions, share their thoughts, and discuss ways to keep themselves and communities safe.
Whether it’s through creative approaches like combining music and storytelling, or open discussions led by mentors, we aim to give young people the tools they need to make positive decisions and stay safe.
Working with communities is a key part of how we tackle knife crime and serious violence. By engaging with people at a local level, we aim to understand their concerns, priorities, and ideas for making their neighbourhoods safer.
We actively involve young people in shaping our strategies. Through youth consultations, we’ve worked with over 140 young people to hear their views on violence affecting their lives and communities. One project in Burnley saw young people creating surveys and videos to highlight their aspirations for a safer future.
We’ve also hosted events like the Hope Hack, bringing together young people from across Lancashire to discuss big issues like community safety and relationships with the police. Supported by youth workers and professionals, these sessions encouraged open conversations and creative problem-solving.
Liverpool John Moore’s University has been commissioned to complete an academic evaluation of our knife crime assets and projects to enable us to take an evidence-based assessment of their use in the future.
Around 100 students at Blackpool and The Fylde College took part in an immersive spiking-prevention workshop hosted by the Lancashire Violence Reduction Network and CounterSpike.
Sceptre, the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) week of action focused on tackling knife crime, once again delivered significant results in Lancashire, with thousands of
Lancashire Violence Reduction Network (LVRN), overseen by Police and Crime Commissioner Clive Grunshaw, is leading two transformative Hope Hack events at HMP Lancaster Farms and
