Across the UK, knife-enabled crime recorded by the police saw a 10% increase to 49,027 offences in the year ending March 2022, from 44,642 in the year ending March 2021. There were increases across all knife-enabled violent and sexual offences except for attempted murder, which saw a 9% decrease (to 441 offences). (Lordslibrary.parliament.uk, 2022) I write this as a working class man that grew up in London with a strong understanding of gang culture and the dynamics of knife crime that is now spiking across the United Kingdom, not solely in the larger cities, but across small towns and rural areas too. I personally first experienced a knife attack when I was just in my teens and then many other attacks up to my most recent in 2019 in North London of which I came out of the situation untouched from the knife that was presented to me by an active gang at the time. I personally know others who have nearly died or been stabbed and I can honestly say 70% of them were people just going about their everyday business. There are many reasons people carry knives and it is not always with the intent of attacking, it can actually be in the holder’s mindset a defensive approach that turns into an attacking approach because of a situation that has shown its self in front of them; for example a child is feeling vulnerable at school or outside school and he/she is a quiet child who does not mix with gangs in or outside school. He/she knows many others carry knifes and they then personally decided to carry a knife because it makes them feel safer, and then circumstances result in them using the knife during a violent altercation. I must make it clear, I am not justifying any carrying of knives, or any other weapon, but we need to explore the route causes further and understand them in order to tackle a culture that is spreading across the UK, seemingly spiraling out of control. Another key fact we all tend to ignore is we have kids not even in their teens willing to stab another human being; the psychology associated with such a close contact attack is profound, and questions need to raised about the involvement of schools in educating and providing interventions.. There is clearly a serious problem in the United Kingdom with knife crime and gang culture and with youth clubs and free activities no longer being available in all of our communities, we as the community need to opportunities and activities for youths. The real need focuses on interventions to prevent our youths from crossing the line by engaging in criminal acts resulting in serious harm or loss of life. Work in the non-criminal space need to be undertaken throughout our communities; we know there are some really good charities bridging the gaps, but there is still a long way to go, and we need more community resources. If you refer back to our blog, Raising awareness of Prevent, we mentioned the governments Prevent strategy, part of Contest, the counter terrorism strategy. This outlines the causes for people being drawn into terrorism; there are similarities in the psychologies here; for a child that grows up with little or no family, the concept of gangs and the culture that goes with it, fills that missing void for the individual but at his/her cost from a prison cell for years as the criminal or as a victim with serious injury or death. In this blog post I am looking at it from a concept of why this is happening but unfortunately there is also the element of manipulation and grooming vulnerable children to engage in criminal activities such as, county-lines drug dealing. Although we don’t have the capacity to eradicate knife-crime, at IPR we have our Making a Difference Pledge, and we believe in strength in unity. As supporters of IPR, by reading this blog you are already Making a Difference, but if you are now asking yourself, what can I do? We ask that you look at your local communities, what services are available and highlight those that are providing the interventions needed, get involved, whether its through volunteering your time, or by spreading the word, you will make a difference. If you have no community schemes, youth clubs etc. in your area, write to your local MP or attend their local surgery to discuss the needs within your community, and finally, you can always contact us to discuss ideas and initiatives and see how we can help.

IPR Managing Director, Ian, worked in partnership with Cambridgeshire Constabulary in 2016 as a Workshop Raising Awareness of Prevent (WRAP) facilitator, delivering the workshops to staff supporting vulnerable groups in Fenland. Currently as a company, IPR are exploring how we can start supporting Police Prevent teams across the country by donating our time to deliver further workshops as part of our Making a Difference Pledge. What is Prevent First introduced by the UK government in 2011, and introduced into law in 2015, the Prevent Duty is part of the governments Contest counter-terrorism strategy. Prevent aims to stop vulnerable people being drawn into terrorist activity by adopting a multi-agency approach to recognise the signs of vulnerable people becoming radicalised and putting interventions in place to stop them from going on to commit acts of terrorism. The four elements of Contest: Prevent – stop people from becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism Pursue – to stop terrorist attacks Protect – to strengthen our protection against terrorist attacks Prepare – when attacks occur, to mitigate the impact The majority of referrals into the Prevent program are investigated and closed without any need for further police action, however some may be passed on to a multi-agency panel called Channel. During a Channel meeting, cases would be discussed, and action plans put in place to support the vulnerable person. Prevent works in the non-criminal space. It is about supporting and protecting those people that might be vulnerable to radicalisation, ensuring that the interventions are put in place before any crime is committed. Who is vulnerable to radicalisation? The types of people at risk of radicalisation are broad in nature, and there is no single profile for a person that would be vulnerable to being drawn into terrorism. Here are a few of the vulnerability factors to consider, but this list is by no means exhaustive. Those with a strong sense of injustice Having suffered loss/grief Significant life events, loss of job, victim of attack Those with a strong desire for political or moral change Lonely people that have a desire to feel wanted and seek a sense of belonging Thrill seekers Those that feel under threat Mental health You will see by the above list that we all know someone that falls into one of those categories, but this does not mean that they are about to become terrorists, otherwise we would all be doing it. Here are a few of the signs to be aware of. Unusually depressed Withdrawn Change of appearance Shows sign of fixation on certain topics Having a new friend or group of friends Speaks in a discriminatory way about specific groups No longer able to hold conversations on broad subjects, repetitive and limited topics of conversation Unusually arrogant, acting out of character If you have a friend or family member that has shown a combination of these vulnerabilities and the signs, then it may be time to have that conversation. In the first instance it may be worth speaking to the person yourself as their friend or family member to determine if there is something they want to talk about, and if there is any support, they need from you. This conversation could be all it takes to put your fears to rest, or it may leave you feeling even more concerned about the person, if this is the case then speaking to your local Prevent team would be the best thing to do. Remember, Prevent works in the non-criminal space. It is about supporting and protecting those vulnerable to radicalisation, to ensure that they are supported, and interventions are in place before any crime has been committed. Definition of terrorism The Terrorism Act 2000 defines terrorism, both in and outside of the UK, as the use or threat of one or more of the actions listed below, and where they are designed to influence the government, or an international governmental organisation or to intimidate the public. The use or threat must also be for the purpose of advancing a political, religious, racial, or ideological cause. The specific actions included are: serious violence against a person serious damage to property endangering a person's life (other than that of the person committing the action); creating a serious risk to the health or safety of the public or a section of the public; and action designed to seriously interfere with or seriously to disrupt an electronic system. The use or threat of action, as set out above, which involves the use of firearms or explosives is terrorism regardless of whether or not the action is designed to influence the government or an international governmental organisation or to intimidate the public or a section of the public. Types of terrorism Although the ways in which terrorist attacks are delivered have changed considerably over recent years, and continue to be ever changing; more recent attacks seeing lone-wolf attackers using vehicles, or bladed weapons to unleash terror on unsuspecting city streets, the motivating factors tend to fall into one of the two following categories. Extreme Right-Wing Terrorism – hate groups that tend to be focused on racial hatred, and encourage extremist ideology International Terrorism - terrorism that goes beyond national boundaries in terms of the methods used, the people that are targeted or the places from which the terrorists operate. International terrorism, largely synonymous with Islamist terrorism with probably the most commonly known being Al Qaida. Terrorist groups in Syria and Iraq, including Al Qaida, have the intention and the capability to direct attacks against the West.

CCTV systems are part of everyday life now, more so in public spaces, wherever we are, whether driving our car or walking down the high street, someone is watching. In our places of work, it is commonplace to see a CCTV camera, but most of the time it is unlikely there will be a pair of eyes watching (really watching) what is going on and acting accordingly. In our homes, the use of CCTV is primarily to act as a deterrent and to have evidence after a crime or trespass offence has been committed. Considering this, the question posed is, just how effective is CCTV? In this blog we shall identify some of the key pros and cons of CCTV in homes and businesses, and the IPR solution. Pros 1. Deters crime 2. Cheaper insurance 3. Evidence gathering Cons 1. Privacy concerns 2. Expensive 3. Does not stop crime When considering the uses of CCTV at home or in business, it is all too easy to fall into the trap of thinking it will prevent crime from happening, this is by far one of the greatest myths of security CCTV installations. Quite rightly CCTV acts as a deterrent to criminal activity and can be seen as a cost-effective solution to security needs with some of the cost being offset on the saving on home or business insurance premiums, but the fact remains they are merely a deterrent and a tool to gather evidence to be used after the crime has been committed. There are options to have monitoring companies over-watching your cameras, however more often than not the watchers are working long hours without breaks, and as a result the level of focus and concentration is impacted upon. There is another way… The IPR Close Protection and Security Services Limited (IPR-CPSEC) Solution Now consider CCTV with 24/7 monitoring with real human eyes that are trained to recognise suspicious activity and respond swiftly to raise the alarm to the most appropriate person or people, such as, emergency services, chosen security response provider or key-holder, and property resident or business owner. Working with international partners, IPR-CPSEC can provide such a service from as little as 54p per hour per camera. Our watchers are rotated on a 45-minute cycle, so your cameras are being watched with a fresh pair of human eyes 24/7/365, with this approach, fatigue or loss of concentration are never an issue, the watchers will be alert and responsive at all times. With our systems, unlike those in public spaces, we are able to position them in pre-agreed vulnerable points that maximise your safety and security whilst minimising any privacy concerns; these are bespoke systems tailored to your needs. If your property has one point of entry and exit, then our remote guarding service is an ideal and cost effective security solution, with the focus being on the single vulnerable point. Whether you choose to use our remote guarding service as a stand-alone service or as part of a comprehensive security package, you are guaranteed the most cost-effective service there is whilst maintaining quality and integrity. As with all IPR-CPSEC security services, you will experience the values driven approach, with all services delivered with the underpinning values of Pride, Passion, Integrity, Respect, and Courage. Please use the contact details on our website to get in touch to discuss your needs.