Sandwell has seen a 20% drop in serious youth violence when comparing data to the same time last year.

The region’s Violence Reduction Partnership has established a number of programmes and initiatives in Sandwell over the past year to bring down levels of serious youth violence.

These include projects like mentoring schemes, specialist workshops and sporting activities which have contributed to positive outcomes for young people in Sandwell.

Ten-year-old Ethan was helped through the Believe to Achieve programme. He had a history of violent behaviour and had on two occasions taken a knife to school.

The programme linked Ethan in with a mentor to support him and his carers, and engaged him in sport activities such as basketball, cricket and boxing.

Twelve weeks into the programme, aggressive school incidents have become non-existent and Ethan has started to open up about life at home, is focusing better at school and will continue his boxing sessions.

More than 1,000 children have benefitted from free boxing sessions in West Bromwich, aimed at boosting overall wellbeing and providing a healthy outlet for difficult emotions and conversations.

Meanwhile, 5,000 children have received workshops on peer pressure across schools in the borough which explore topics such as being pressured into carrying a knife or drugs, bullying and using social media safely.

Mentors have been placed at the emergency department in Sandwell hospital. They support children and young people admitted with violence related injuries, to help guide them away from a life of violence and reduce the risk of re-offending.

The Police and Crime Commissioner, Simon Foster said: “There has been significant investment in terms of time, effort and funding into Sandwell by the Violence Reduction Partnership.

“The data is evidence of this and shows that with the appropriate support and opportunities, we can really help young people lead fulfilling and positive lives.

“We are aiming to see rates of violence continue to drop across the region.

“However, we cannot be and we will not be complacent. We will continue to work tirelessly to keep our people and communities safe.”

The VRP has a key focus on preventing youth violence and knife crime. They do this by way of a wide range of projects including, education, youth workers and bespoke tailored support for young people in places like schools, hospitals and police custody centres.