Report links youth unemployment to violent crime in Tottenham

Limited opportunities for young people are a major cause of crime in Tottenham according to a recent report
By Olivia Opara

A recent report has linked violent crime in Tottenham to limited educational and employment opportunities for young people.

Published by mayor Sadiq Khan’s London Violence Reduction Unit (VRU), the ‘Neighbourhoods affected by violence’ report cites parts of Haringey – most of which are in Tottenham – as having some of the highest rates of violent crime in London.

The report goes on to say that young people involved in violence often had limited educational and employment opportunities and skills. Haringey has a high number of young people not in education, employment or training (Neets) and according to DWP data, 10.39% of Universal Credit claimants in Tottenham are young people aged 16-24, with 6.08% unemployed. Likewise, Haringey is in the second-most deprived decile for income deprivation affecting children, with close to a third of children living in poverty in Northumberland Park ward.

Poverty and social deprivation in Tottenham were found to be major drivers for violent youth crime, pushing young people towards illicit activities such as drug dealing to make ends meet.

Part of the local response to the issue is Home Cooked, a violence reduction programme in Tottenham Hale which is supported by the VRU. The programme focuses on five themes: safer communities, the prevention of exploitation, mental health, education and employment and healthy families.

Louise Musumbu, programme manager at Bridge Renewal Trust (which oversees Home Cooked), used to work with young people in prisons. She told HCP about the way poverty pushed some into crime: “They’d say to me, ‘look Ms, I used to watch my mum cry. My mum would go to work all night and come back with just enough money to feed us.’”

Louise believes the cost of living crisis will push more vulnerable young people into violent crime. She said: “There are young people who are the sole breadwinner of their families and there is more pressure for them to step away from the legal things that they have been doing and to go closer to the illegal things.”

The VRU report also found that some young people in employment were still involved in illegal activities due to fears concerning job security.

Haringey Council sees youth unemployment as a big problem. Adam Jogee, the cabinet member for economic development, jobs and community cohesion, told HCP that Tottenham is facing a skills crisis, with many young people leaving education “because they believe that it is better to be out there earning money”. He added that having to “choose between succeeding and surviving is a disgrace”.

To combat high rates of youth unemployment, the council has set up Haringey Works, a free recruitment service with a portal to provide employment support and skills development for young people aged 18-24, with a focus on those at risk. Similarly, Haringey Community Gold – a scheme to prevent young people from getting involved in crime – provides a range of other opportunities.

Local police say they are doing what they can to tackle violent crime. Detective Chief Superintendent Caroline Haines, who is responsible for policing in Enfield and Haringey, says that knife injury offences for under 25s in her area are down 13% compared to this time last year, and that the local police detection rates for crime is “well above the [Met’s] aspiration of 25%, at 32% detection rate”. Alongside this, the police have a range of interventions and intelligence-led initiatives to support vulnerable young people who are at risk of youth violence and disrupt crime.

Despite recent reductions in youth crime, Haringey has the fourth highest rate of knife crime with injury in London, at 10.1 incidents per 10,000 people. In the past year alone there have been several high-profile violent crimes in the borough. In late September, 19-year-old Kane Moses died from multiple stab wounds following an altercation near Holcomb Market. In June, the fatal stabbing of 17-year-old Ali Baygören led to two anti-knife crime protests. And in July, 23-year-old Camilo Palacio, from Enfield, was shot dead in Wood Green.

As the cost of living crisis takes effect, there is still a lot that needs to be done to support local young people, said Louise Musumbu. Highlighting the ongoing need for transparency, communication and co-production, she added: “There needs to be an emphasis on giving the power back to the community and young voices and leaders.”

Infographic showing the numbers of young people claiming Universal Credit

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