Police leader speaks of passion about stopping gang-related violence
A West Midlands Police Federation member has spoken about his passion for an initiative which will tackle gang-related violence and change the lives of young people.
Chief inspector Daryl Lyon recently helped roll out CIRV (the Community Initiative to Reduce Violence), with results already suggesting the project is going to be a huge success.
West Midlands Police is only the second Force to introduce the scheme, after chief inspector Lyon led the same project in his former role at Northamptonshire Constabulary, where the initiative saw the number of incidents involving gang-related violence, almost halve for those who engaged with the programme.
He said: "The factors that can impact gang-related violence can be severely complex, which is why we need to look at complex solutions to help resolve them.
“Because this scheme takes a holistic approach, it looks at the issues driving the behaviours and not just the symptoms. CIRV looks at the wider picture.
“This is an unusual approach for the police to take and that’s what excites me.
"It provides young people with exit pathways as we don’t just turn our backs on them because they are in trouble.
“Instead, we offer them advice, support and an alternative to the world that they might have found themselves in.
"We give them hope and the opportunity to potentially turn their life around.”
CIRV involves the police working together with multiple agencies across the region, to not only identify and engage with those caught up in crime but to also reach out to vulnerable youngsters, some of who might be in danger of being targeted by the likes of County Lines.
Chief inspector Lyon said he admits that the scheme is only as effective as the engagement they receive.
He said: “We want to help people get off that merry-go-round. We are offering them a way out.
“Of course, this approach doesn’t work for everyone.
"If an individual that’s being particularly difficult doesn’t want to take our offer of an exit pathway, then traditional policing might be the only route for them.”
The £2 million scheme, which will currently run for between three and five years, is thought to be ‘the most extensively evaluated’ crime-prevention programme to ever exist in the UK.
Chief inspector Lyon said: “This is a huge investment from the Home Office but clearly, they have been very impressed with what they have seen so far.
“Ultimately, if the scheme is carried out correctly, it will stop offending."
