Major investment in Lambeth to cut youth violence has led to a decrease in victims.
Lambeth Council and its partners launched a £3.5m three year Young and Safe programme in April this year.
Since then there were 170 incidents of serious youth violence up to September, down from 180 incidents from April to September in 2008.
A report into the progress of the programme calls it an “above target” and “significant reduction” in the most serious crimes – that include gun and knife violence.
Yet the number of youths reoffending has fallen by just one perpetrator.
From April to September 2008, some 120 youths were known to reoffend, while in the same period this year, 119 youths reoffended.
The work of the Young and Safe programme identifies young people who are at risk of offending, assesses their needs and refers them to the right services.
Two people on the programme have already obtained college places.
The report to the Safer Lambeth Partnership Executive also states proactive work saw a drop in serious youth violence over the summer period compared to last year despite concerns from police about a surge in violence.
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