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London boroughs given £9.5m to keep children from gang violence

Ten London boroughs were today given cash help for schemes designed to deter children as young as nine away from gang violence.

Hotspots in the capital, including Brent, Greenwich, Lambeth and Tower Hamlets, will get the lion’s share of a £9.5 million fund to reduce knife crime, Communities Secretary James Brokenshire will announce.

Funding will be aimed at early interventions to target young people at risk of being sucked into gangs and crime.

“Carrying a knife should never be a rite of passage. For too long it has been normalised behaviour for too many teenagers in our communities. Every violent incident is a tragedy that has devastating consequences for all involved,” Mr Brokenshire said.

The strategy puts a focus on local schemes mainly run by voluntary groups that are embedded in the local communities. Many involve teachers, youth workers and community leaders, as well as police, to help children understand the risks of gang culture.

A further £300,000 is being given to councils to tackle childhood trauma, after evidence of mental health problems suffered by young people exposed to violence.

Among the schemes, Enfield will get nearly £500,000 towards a project run in four primary schools aimed at improving awareness.

Lambeth is planning on having a family worker in police stations to approach young people in trouble and support them if they reform. Brent is backing a voluntary programme to give young people and their families coping skills and alternative activities.

Greenwich will use mentors from Charlton Athletic to engage young people and provide counselling.