Youth on youth violence: the scale of the problem

NMUH Staff Publications

EMBASE

101

<span style="font-size: 10pt;">Background Youth on youth violence is a serious problem in many areas of England. Gangs have a significant impact on the communities they operate within. Research has shown that violence is a key factor in desistance from gangs, so identifying those involved at presentation to A&E is vital. Aims Local police statistics for 2013-14 has shown knife crime has increased by 40% in our borough compared to 4% across London. We aimed to see if this rise was matched by presentations to A&E for gang violence. We also aimed to map the demographics and injuries of those presenting with assaults. Method A manual notes review of all A&E cards was performed during a 3 month period from September to December 2014. A comparison with local police crime statistics showed that this was a 'quieter' time for youth violence which tends to peak in summer months. Injuries in the 12-24 year olds were identified and data collected on age, gender, history given and injury type. Results There were 42,306 presentations to A&E in the study timeframe. 1,522 injuries were identified in the 12-24 year olds. 10% (156) of these injuries were categorised as assaults. 56% of presentations were for those aged 12-15 years, with the most injuries occurring in 12 year olds. Overall the male:female ratio for injuries was 2:1 with males representing 71% of assaults. The attacker's body was the most common weapon with 24% being punched and 12% being kicked and punched. Other modes of assault were kicks, bites and sexual assaults. When weapons were documented, knives were used in 12% of cases, followed by baseball bats, bottles, glass, hammers and metal bars. One third of victims suffered injuries to multiple sites reflecting that in 22% of cases a 'group' or 'gang' were reported as the assailants. Conclusion This study clearly demonstrates that in a 'quiet' month for police reports, there is a significant number of young people requiring treatment for gang violence. This data has provided evidence for a youth worker funded by the Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime and we will be assessing the impact of this provision. (Conference abstract)</span>