Knife crime in England and Wales rises to record high, ONS figures show…

Home Office figures show that only one in every 14 offences led to court proceedings – less than half the rate five years ago. The charging rate has been in decline almost continuously since 2014-15, when changes were made to the collection of the data. Last year, 7.1% of crimes resulted in a suspect being charged or ordered to appear in court. The previous year it was 8.2% – and in 2014-15 it was 15.5%. The percentage of crimes in which suspects were cautioned has also fallen, to 1.3% from 4.6% in 2014-15. (Information Courtesy of Danny Shaw, BBC Home Affairs Correspondent)

The James Brindley Full Circle Programme seeks to tackle youth offending head on, using an evidence based 360-degree approach. Alongside developing an individual’s awareness of both the short and long term consequences of decision making, the programme seeks to develop problem solving and decision making skills, that we believe will contribute to a positive social lifestyle and avoid involvement in the criminal justice system. The programme was developed in response to Government statistics, suggesting that ‘looked after’ children in England, are five times more likely to offend than all children…