After another teenage stabbing police and crime commissioner admits activity to tackle serious violence is not coordinated

And a strategy by Northamptonshire's police, health and local authorities to reduce serious violence is still in the making

By Sarah Ward

On Friday evening a 16-year-old boy was stabbed in the neck in a residential street close to the centre of Northampton. He had to be flown by air ambulance to a Coventry hospital for treatment and was fortunate to survive.

An 18-year-old was arrested for grievous bodily harm and Northamptonshire Police say the boy has been bailed.

This latest incident comes just a month after the murder of University of Northampton student Kwabena Osei-Poku, 19, who was stabbed when an incident broke out on campus and follows the killing of Rohan ‘Fred’ Shand, 16, who was killed in March while walking home from Kingsthorpe College.

Kwambend (left) and Rohan Shand both lost their lives after being stabbed in Northampton

Last December the Home Office placed a ‘serious violence duty’ on organisations within a local authority area to come up with a strategy for how to tackle serious violence.

It said it was bringing in the new duty amid rising rates of violence and the measure of the strategy’s success will be homicide rates, hospital admissions for knife assaults and police recorded crime.

The duty is placed on the police, health organisations, probation services, local authorities and together they have to decide how to oversee and manage the strategy and whether it is delivered through the area’s community safety partnerships (CSPs).

Having a look around online NN Journal could only find serious violence strategies for other parts of the country, such as neighbouring Leicestershire and the West Midlands but not for Northamptonshire. The meetings for the two CSPs in the West and North of the county happen in private, with minutes not made public, so we could not look to see whether the CSPs had taken ownership of devising a strategy.

And so we contacted the police and crime commissioner Stephen Mold’s office and asked a number of questions - which we have published below.

In his answers the police and crime commissioner (whose role is to hold the Northamptonshire police force to account on behalf of the public) admits that activity to tackle serious violence is not coordinated and also suggests that it may be time for the Community Safety Partnerships to meet in public.

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Q. Does Northamptonshire have a ratified serious violence strategy?

A. “Not yet. A strategic needs assessment is currently underway which will inform the creation of a new strategy and action plan under the serious violence duty (SVD) in 23/24.

We have been looking at areas around the country that have violence reduction units so that our strategy can be informed by best practice and evidence of what really works to reduce violence. Leicestershire is one of the areas that we have tried to learn from, given that as a neighbouring county it was one of the original 18 violence reduction units created from Government funding in 2020.

Progress towards the strategy is being discussed by partner organisations tomorrow (May 23). Lots of activity to tackle violence is already underway across Northamptonshire Police, the Community Safety Partnerships and the community and charity sector but it is not well-coordinated. We are looking to see how the work of the existing bodies in the county can be used more effectively as part of the serious violence duty, and see where new or more investment is needed.”

Q. If so, how is this delivered through the community safety partnerships? If this is the case are there two for the area?

A. “Northamptonshire will have one, countywide strategic needs assessment, strategy and action plan, with the specified organisations (police, fire, justice, health, local authorities) working together as the Northamptonshire Serious Violence Alliance.

The two Community Safety Partnerships will oversee how the violence strategy is delivered in their area, but there will be a countywide steering group reporting to both Community Safety Partnerships.

Preventing violence in the under 25 age group is a key focus for activity that is being developed as part of the serious violence duty.”

Q. If there is not a current strategy for Northants, why is this?

A. A new strategic needs assessment, strategy and action plan under the serious violence duty, which began on 31^st January 2023, is currently in development.  This work leads on from work already undertaken by Northamptonshire Police and CSPs.  

Q. In its guidance on creating and implementing a serious violence strategy the government says a measure of success will be homicide rates and crimes involving a blade. In light of recent events in Northampton and this latest stabbing of a teenager on Friday evening, would you say the community safety partnerships are working?

A. “We know there is very much work to do to tackle the issue of knife crime. That is an issue for every organisation, and work will be coordinated through the Serious Violence Duty – but more than that, knife crime is an issue that every community needs to acknowledge that they have a role in ending. 

No one organisation will do this by itself, this needs a response from every organisation, working together, with active involvement from the people of Northamptonshire.

Community Safety Partnerships play a strong role in coordinating activity on serious violence in Northamptonshire.  We will continue to focus together on preventing serious crime and have to come forward with initiatives that are proven to work, but will take time to deliver.”

Q. Is it time the Community Safety  Partnerships met in public so residents and the media can be aware of activities and scrutinise?

 A. “This is an interesting idea that I would be pleased to discuss.”