Youth Violence

Warinder Juss, the Labour MP for Wolverhampton West, asked the Minister of State at the Home Department, Dame Diana Johnson, what steps her department is taking to tackle youth violence. In her response, Dame Diana Johnson stated that the government is determined to stamp out the scourge of serious youth violence and has set out an unprecedented mission to halve knife crime within a decade. She said the government will introduce legislation to remove dangerous knives from the streets and tackle online knife sales with new sanctions for technology executives whose companies fail to obey the law. The minister also mentioned the new young futures programme, which will prevent teenagers from being drawn into violence by bringing services together around them to ensure they stay on the right path. Warinder Juss followed up, noting that his constituency in the West Midlands has been described as the "knife crime capital of the United Kingdom." He referenced the tragic deaths of 16-year-old Terrell Marshall-Williams and 17-year-old Harleigh Hepworth due to knife attacks. Juss then recalled the previous government's slogan of being "tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime," and asked how the minister's department will use initiatives like the young futures programme to tackle not only youth violence but also the underlying causes, such as drug abuse, lack of access to mental health services, and cuts to community provision. Dame Diana Johnson expressed her condolences to the families of Juss's constituents who lost their lives. She reiterated that tackling serious violence and halving knife crime is a core part of the government's safer streets mission, which will require action across Whitehall and with all partners, including the police, probation, youth services, technology companies, charities, and community organisations. The minister emphasized that the young futures hubs will be staffed by a range of trained professionals to support young people and help prevent them from being drawn into violence.