The government has announced a significant new push to tackle knife crime, deploying precise mapping data and a £26 million fund to target persistent hotspots.
Ministers are now sharing national mapping technology with police forces, enabling them to pinpoint the specific streets and locations where knife offences are most prevalent.
This initiative, spearheaded by the Home Office, is based on the understanding that the vast majority of knife crimes occur repeatedly in the same areas.
The newly established Knife Crime Concentrations Fund, totalling £26 million, will directly support police operations in these identified high-risk zones.
This crucial funding is earmarked for the 27 police forces across England and Wales that collectively handle 90 per cent of all knife crime incidents.
Policing minister Sarah Jones said: “Knife crime devastates lives and families across the country, and the majority of it takes place on just a small number of streets across the country.
“We will deploy state-of-the-art mapping to identify these hot spots and target them with police patrols, live facial recognition and knife arches to catch these criminals.
“This Government will halve knife crime within a decade, saving lives and protecting communities.”
The mapping system will help officers pinpoint knife crime hot spots down to 100 square metres, and the times it is most likely to occur.
The areas will see increased police patrols, new CCTV cameras, live facial recognition and knife detection arches.
The crackdown comes as part of a wider programme aimed at halving knife crime over a decade.
Ministers are also rolling out a new generation of youth centres as part of a plan called Protecting Lives, Building Hope.
The eight hubs will be based in Birmingham, Brighton and Hove, Bristol, County Durham, Leeds, Manchester, Nottingham and Tower Hamlets, all areas with high rates of knife crime.
They will be the first among 50 which will eventually be rolled out across England.
Mapping tech to help crackdown on knife crime as part of £26m funding
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