The mayor of London has announced £6 million in funding to tackle violence in Hackney neighbourhoods and elsewhere in London.
As part of its MyEnds programme, Sadiq Khan's Violence Reduction Unit (VRU) will invest in Hackney's CVS (Council for Voluntary Service) to support the delivery of targeted interventions to help reduce violence in Hackney Wick.
Interventions will focus on "hotspot areas" such as Marsh Hill towards Homerton, the end of Wick Road, Cassland Road and Trowbridge.
Saqib Deshmukh, head of youth programmes at Hackney CVS, said: “We want to use this opportunity to build on the excellent practice of local groups in Hackney Wick in working with young people and our communities to reduce violence and improve life chances."
The VRU reports that violence in Hackney Wick has grown over the last few years, with a spike in antisocial behaviour at the beginning of the first lockdown in March.
Hackney Wick is one of the most deprived wards in one of the most deprived boroughs.
Figures published in 2019 by the Ministry of Housing and Local Government showed an area of Hackney Wick, which included Mabley Street, Ickburgh School and the Wick Health Centre, ranked 1,315 out of 32,844 areas in England for deprivation - making it the most deprived area in Hackney at the time.
VRU believes it is this deprivation and lack of opportunity which is driving youth violence in the area.
As of March 8, the crime rate for Hackney Wick was 10 crimes per 1,000 residents, compared to the London-wide rate of six and borough-wide rate of eight.
Violence against the person is the most common crime in the area, according to the Met's crime dashboard, with 998 committed out of a total of 2,956.
The funding will help support work with hundreds of young people and young adults in the Hackney Wick area, while also providing sports activities to underrepresented groups like women, girls and people with physical and mental disabilities.
Lib Peck, director of London’s VRU, said violence "tends to be very localised and concentrated on estates or small pockets of roads".
She said: "Experience tells us that it’s often local people who know what’s best for improving the area they live and work in, and that’s why we’re supporting local people and local communities to help bring about change and provide better opportunities for young people. "
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here