Early intervention to prevent knife crime in Westbury

Police officers are making regular visits to local schools as part of early intervention efforts to tackle knife crime, councillors have been told. 

PC Hamel, of Wiltshire Police, gave a presentation at a recent Westbury Town Council meeting which detailed the force’s varied work to tackle crimes in the town. 

Councillor Jessica George, who represents Westbury East, asked for a specific update on knife crime, an issue which has been heavily debated in Parliament following several high-profile cases. 

According to the most recent statistics from the Ben Kinsella Trust, 57 young people aged under 25 were murdered with a knife between March 2023 and March 2024. 

Cllr George asked PC Hamel, “I had a question around increasing knife crime, which we see particularly among young people. Notably, there has been the programme Adolescence on Netflix and people becoming a lot more aware of issues like children’s mental health and [the impact of] social media.  

“With early intervention being a key aspect of supporting our youth, can I ask what support is being put in place before those events arise?” 

In response, PC Hamel explained that Wiltshire Police is working to visit schools more often to speak with children directly. 

He said, “Our Youth and Early Intervention work effectively sees police go inside schools to give presentations around knife crime and a variety of other issues. There’s also the Swindon and Wiltshire Interventions (SWIFT) programme which brings individuals to our attention.  

“Children can have one-to-one sessions with a PCSO, or a police officer if the risk is higher. We visit schools often, also on request.”

Pictured: PC Hamel updating councillors at a recent meeting.