Tough new measures to fight knife crime on the streets of Croydon have been launched in a new campaign today.

In a joint Croydon Council and police initiative Operation Safe for All will see extra police officers on the streets, increases in searches and additional outreach work to reduce truancy.

Among radical new plans are a new scheme called Staysafe, where kids on the streets can be taken directly home, with a council social worker making a follow-up visit.

Other plans include:

•Launch of a Turnaround Centre, based on the successful format of the Family Justice Centre, where issues and concerns relating to young people at risk of offending can be addressed in a single place.

•Introducing a helpline as a place of contact for young people and parents regarding gang issues.

•Greater use of education welfare officers and police operations to reduce truancy.

•Development of more youth activities, especially for Friday and Saturday nights including a mobile youth centre.

•Extra training for teachers, college tutors and voluntary workers on how to identify and support those most vulnerable to gang influence, youth violence and victimisation.

•Deploying mobile CCTV in locations where recording may be useful for securing evidence as well as deterring the assembly of young people.

Chief Supt Mark Gore, Croydon Police Borough Commander, said: “Although overall crime is going down in the borough, three recent murders by stabbing in as many months and an increase in knife enabled crime shows that there is clearly a number of young people who are not getting the message.”

The joint organisation operation, which includes Croydon Council and Croydon BID, will make kids work on Friday and Saturday nights when they are given community orders for offences.

In addition, the council will toughen its licensing response procedures to act more quickly when conditions are breached, clamping down on retailers who unlawfully sell weapons and making greater use of injunctions, ASBOs and Dispersal Orders to control public order situations.

The council is in talks with Transport for London about confiscating free travel passes from disruptive young people.

Cabinet member for safety and cohesion, Councillor Steve O’Connell said: “This joint operation has been carefully put together to remedy the immediate problem and put into place long term measures that prevent young people for getting involved in criminality.”

Brian Stapleton, chief executive of Croydon Business, added: “Croydon’s economy is suffering from the perception of crime and concerns about safety. This plan should make a real difference in preventing and deterring violent behaviour.”