Crimestoppers
Fearless - Our Youth Service
A holistic approach to help curtail London’s violence
Our new London regional manager Alexa Loukas explains her role
Rising violent crime is a national problem, but it’s especially prominent in London - particularly amongst young people, with around a third of London’s murder victims last year being aged 16 to 24; 60% of those murders involved a knife*.
The issue has put pressure on the capital’s public services – police, health, social and youth services.
My role is to provide a vital link between the community and law enforcement and, thanks to funding from MOPAC and The Ingram Trust, we’ve also recently recruited a full-time London Fearless Outreach Worker (Fearless is our youth service, engaging with 11-16 year-olds). He or she will be focusing on helping young people make informed decisions about reporting crime by working in a variety of settings, including schools and youth groups, delivering age-appropriate workshops to young Londoners.
These developments will help cement our role in the capital, allowing us to boost Crimestoppers’ profile and impact.
The impact of a Regional Manager for London will benefit everyone by helping to cut crime and build new partnerships for safer communities.
In the coming months I’ll be prioritising building key networks with strategic partners such as local authorities, regulatory bodies, volunteer agencies, commercial and charity sector organisations. This will involve presenting to the London Heads of Community Safety to explore joint working opportunities.
Our Crimestoppers team in Scotland has direct experience and involvement with the successful public health approach used in Glasgow, and we know that enforcement alone will not solve the problem. Our experience in Scotland will help shape our new approach for London.
Key findings were that young people want to hear messages and learn how to spot the signs of County Lines from their peers and influencers in the community. This shows how beneficial a Fearless worker in London will be in helping promote our service to the people and communities that need us most.
Interested in learning about opportunities for joint working with us? Find out about our services for businesses here.
*Source: BBC.
Alexa Loukas
The issue has put pressure on the capital’s public services – police, health, social and youth services.
Mayor's Office for Policing And Crime (MOPAC)
We’ve begun a new partnership and I have been recruited as the new Regional Manager for London as a result of MOPAC and City of London Police funding.My role is to provide a vital link between the community and law enforcement and, thanks to funding from MOPAC and The Ingram Trust, we’ve also recently recruited a full-time London Fearless Outreach Worker (Fearless is our youth service, engaging with 11-16 year-olds). He or she will be focusing on helping young people make informed decisions about reporting crime by working in a variety of settings, including schools and youth groups, delivering age-appropriate workshops to young Londoners.
These developments will help cement our role in the capital, allowing us to boost Crimestoppers’ profile and impact.
How can Crimestoppers help?
We are here to support and complement the role of the police. By having dedicated staff for London, we’ll improve awareness of our service, and support people who are fearful of reporting crime by passing on information from those who need to remain anonymous – which we guarantee, and have done for over 30 years.The impact of a Regional Manager for London will benefit everyone by helping to cut crime and build new partnerships for safer communities.
Facts and figures
From April to November 2018, an average of 160 valuable pieces of information were sent to the Met’s Intelligence Bureau each month. We hope to see this steadily rise over time.In the coming months I’ll be prioritising building key networks with strategic partners such as local authorities, regulatory bodies, volunteer agencies, commercial and charity sector organisations. This will involve presenting to the London Heads of Community Safety to explore joint working opportunities.
Public health approach
The London Mayor’s Violence Reduction Unit plans have been unveiled, and bring together specialists in health, police and local government to lead and deliver a long-term public health approach to tackling the causes of violent crime.Our Crimestoppers team in Scotland has direct experience and involvement with the successful public health approach used in Glasgow, and we know that enforcement alone will not solve the problem. Our experience in Scotland will help shape our new approach for London.
County lines
In collaboration with the Met’s Trident Partnership and accountants Ernst & Young, we recently piloted a project with Year 10 pupils from School 21 in Newham. This culminated in the group presenting their project overview at New Scotland Yard in November.Key findings were that young people want to hear messages and learn how to spot the signs of County Lines from their peers and influencers in the community. This shows how beneficial a Fearless worker in London will be in helping promote our service to the people and communities that need us most.
Volunteers for London Advisory Board
We are also planning a recruitment drive for volunteers for our London Advisory Board and are keen to hear from people who want to make a difference. We need a mix of skills and expertise, with volunteers who can play an active part. Please call 020 8835 3700 or fill in our online form on this page of our website to find out more about volunteering for CrimestoppersInterested in learning about opportunities for joint working with us? Find out about our services for businesses here.
*Source: BBC.
