Evaluation of the Knife Crime Surge Fund and Violence Reduction Unit

In October 2020, ERS was appointed to undertake the Year 2 evaluation of Knife Crime Surge Fund activities being delivered by Northumbria Police and the operation of the Violence Reduction Unit (VRU) within the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC) for Northumbria. Northumbria VRU identified four key themes which informed its work: youth diversion, reducing offending, working with families, and connecting communities.

The aim was to complete a process and impact evaluation which encompassed both Northumbria PCC and Northumbria Police’s activities relating to the Knife Crime Surge Fund and VRU, falling into three work packages:

  • Northumbria Police and OPCC’s collaborative and innovative approach towards Knife Crime Surge Fund activity and the VRU (involving synergy and collective operational activity, education and awareness raising initiatives, and targeted intervention).

  • Northumbria Police’s delivery of the Knife Crime Surge Fund (including prevention, enforcement, intelligence, targeting, and investigative activity).

  • The OPCC’s Violence Reduction Unit activities and the specific outsourced interventions falling within the four themes of youth diversion, reducing offending, working with families and connecting communities.

To inform the evaluation, ERS undertook a rapid evidence review of similar initiatives that have been delivered elsewhere, to provide context for the evaluation and identify any transferable lessons. In addition, our consultants observed group and sub-group meetings and conducted 89 interviews with Police officers/staff, representatives of organisations delivering VRU-funded interventions, members of Community Safety Partnerships and other representatives of relevant public and third sector organisations.  Most interviews were conducted online with individuals or in small focus groups using Microsoft Teams. All followed a semi-structured format using a prepared pro forma designed to capture the objectives of the evaluation.

The final evaluation report included a logic model, a rapid evidence review, progress towards intended outcomes, an analysis of Northumbria Police and Home Office data, a Value for money framework and conclusions and recommendations. These can be used by local partners to improve and share learning about what works in Northumbria to tackle knife crime, and how these activities can be replicated, adapted and scaled up in future.