Fed member helps launch groundbreaking scheme to tackle gang-related violence

24 August 2023

A West Midlands Police Federation member who has led a pioneering new scheme designed to tackle gang-related violence in the region says knowing that the initiative could ‘change the lives of young people’ is what makes him so passionate about the project.

Chief inspector Daryl Lyon has recently helped roll out CIRV (the Community Initiative to Reduce Violence), with results already suggesting the project is going to be a huge success.

West Midlands is only the second Force to introduce the scheme, after Daryl led the same project in his former role at Northamptonshire Constabulary - where the initiative saw the number of incidents involving gang-related violence, almost halve for those who engaged with the programme.

“The factors that can impact gang-related violence can be severely complex, which is why we need to look at complex solutions to help resolve them,” said Daryl, who transferred to West Midlands Police two years ago.

“Because this scheme takes a holistic approach, it looks at the issues driving the behaviours and not just the symptoms. CIRV looks at the wider picture.”

Chief inspector Daryl Lyon has recently helped roll out CIRV

CIRV involves the police working together with multiple agencies across the region, to not only identify and engage with those caught up in crime but to also reach out to vulnerable youngsters - some of who might be in danger of being targeted by the likes of County Lines.

“This is an unusual approach for the police to take and that’s what excites me. It provides young people with exit pathways - we don’t just turn our backs on them because they are in trouble.

“Instead, we offer them advice, support and an alternative to the world that they might have found themselves in. We give them hope and the opportunity to potentially turn their life around.”

Daryl admits that the scheme is only as effective as the engagement they receive.

He explained: “We want to help people get off that merry-go-round. We are offering them a way out.

“Of course, this approach doesn’t work for everyone. If an individual that’s being particularly difficult doesn’t want to take our offer of an exit pathway, then traditional policing might be the only route for them.”

The £2 million scheme, which will currently run for between three and five years, is thought to be ‘the most extensively evaluated’ crime-prevention programme to ever exist in the UK.

“This is a huge investment from the Home Office but clearly, they have been very impressed with what they have seen so far,” added Daryl.

“Ultimately, if the scheme is carried out correctly, it will stop offending. This will change lives. It’s too early to see any major results here but already it feels like the response in Coventry is even better than the one in Northamptonshire.

Rather than police officers working from a base, the ‘navigators’, who are all plain-clothed rather than in uniform, spend their days liaising with gang members out in the community.

“We take a non-judgmental approach, and that is very important to us,” added Daryl, who revealed that a member of their team is a current inmate who uses their knowledge and insight of gangs to support their work.

“This is a brand new, groundbreaking approach. When vulnerable people are at risk of getting into trouble, we don’t have the time to evaluate. We need to respond quickly and act fast, to ensure they receive the help they need - that is exactly what CIRV does, it helps people when they need it.

“I am very passionate about CIRV and I’m looking forward to seeing the impact the scheme has across Coventry.”