Thousands of young people across Durham are being helped to stay safe through early intervention projects to tackle serious violence.
In County Durham and Darlington, programmes funded by Police and Crime Commissioner Joy Allen form a cornerstone of her Police, Crime and Justice Plan and focus on deterring children from criminal activity and knife crime through education and prevention.
In the first quarter of 2026/27, knife crime fell by 3.8 per cent compared to the same period the previous year.
While promising, these figures are subject to further checks and revisions by the Home Office.
Ms Allen said: "The Knife Angel’s visit last summer gave us a new focus for our preventative work and we’ve been eager to capitalise on its power ever since.
"It’s vital we keep the difficult conversations flowing while children and young people remain very receptive to its messages.
"We have funded an array of workshops and educational programmes designed to reach young people as early as possible, providing safe and trusted spaces for them to consider why people carry knives in the first place, the consequences of doing so and to raise awareness of safer ways of solving disputes."
Over the past year, the Serious Violence Prevention Partnership – which brings together key agencies to reduce violence in the region – has supported educational workshops and one-to-one interventions for vulnerable children.
Ahead of the Knife Angel’s display in Newton Aycliffe last year, Ms Allen allocated £47,608 from the Violence Prevention Fund to Groundwork North East and Cumbria for a creative youth project.
The scheme reached more than 130 under-24s, using art and group activities to highlight the dangers of knife crime and encourage community conversations.
In addition to knife-related issues, the project addressed broader topics including healthy relationships, masculinity, consent, and substance misuse.
A separate project saw the PCC award £50,000 to Sunderland AFC’s charity, Foundation of Light, to deliver a 12-week intervention scheme.
Targeted at young people aged nine to 15 and based at the Caterpillar Learning Centre in Peterlee, the programme aimed to boost education engagement, decision-making, and violence awareness through group sessions and tailored one-to-one mentoring.
The Foundation of Light nearly doubled its outreach target, delivering sessions to more than 1,900 young people in schools and community settings.
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At Consett Academy alone, knife crime talks reached 1,500 students, covering the risks of violence, peer pressure, and personal safety.
The charity also led Street First Aid training, including a session at Seaham Community Centre attended by 97 young people.
Workshops focused on how to respond to catastrophic bleeds using everyday items to help stem blood loss in emergencies.
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