A new and innovative street outreach project to engage people at-risk of violence has been launched this week by Leicestershire Police working on a trial basis initially in Leicester City Centre.
The project will be delivered by Turning Point, a local charity who also deliver the Violence Reduction Network’s (VRN) Violence Intervention Project (VIP) which focuses on helping young people at a 'reachable moment' in hospital and police custody settings.
The Street Outreach Project takes a unique approach by using violent crime data to ensure targeted support is available, particularly for young people, in crime hot spots at the times where the risk of violence is greatest.
The pilot project, which is funded through the Home Office Grip Innovation Fund until March 2023, is one of a growing suite of interventions designed and implemented by the VRN partnership.
Street Outreach Workers are not police officers or staff but instead are professionals with expertise in supporting vulnerable people who can connect them with existing services to reduce their future risk of being a victim or offender of violence. An evaluation of the project will be conducted following the trial by Cambridge University to measure the success made in preventing violence.
