Knives Pic: Traveling Mcmahans

A charity in Hackney has received almost £50,000, to fund a project aimed at reducing the level of knife violence in the borough.

The Crib, a youth group giving opportunities to young people, will use the £50,000 grant from The Evening Standard’s Dispossessed Fund, to work with kids, ex-gang members, and police officers and help train young people on how to deal with instances of knife violence on the street.

The scheme includes role-playing with members of the Metropolitan Police and one-to-one weapon awareness sessions with trained youth workers.

Out of the 11 other projects to receive money from The Evening Standard, The Crib received the largest amount.

Hackney is one of the boroughs most affected by knife crime in London. According to statistics from 2011, knife crime constituted 24% of total crime in Hackney, the second highest rate after Lambeth.