YOUTH workers will be deployed in Coventry A&E departments in a bid to tackle violent crime.
The West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner David Jamieson says the new team will work alongside clinical staff to identify those who might be caught up in a cycle of violence.
The initiative will offer tailored support for people aged under 25 at University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire.
Medical staff will alert the youth workers to victims of serious youth violence, sexual violence or abuse who are admitted to hospital.
The new youth workers have been recruited by the St Giles Trust which was commissioned to carry out the work for an initial 12-month period by the PCC backed Violence Prevention Alliance.
If the scheme is deemed to be successful then funding could be extended.
Knife crime in the region has risen 85 per cent since 2012, with the PCC describing the surge in violent crime as a ‘national emergency’.
Mr Jamieson said: “The introduction of additional youth workers in our region’s hospitals will prove invaluable in the fight against violent crime.
“Experts describe the moment when a person has been seriously injured and is lying in a hospital bed as as a ‘teachable moment’ and a time when that person is more likely to be open to help and support.”
Youth workers are now stationed at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital and Heartlands Hospital in Birmingham, New Cross Hospital in Wolverhampton and UHCW.
A spokesperson for the St Giles Trust Steve Clarke said: “It is well documented that violence amongst young people is a serious issue and an issue we need to tackle.
“Our service in A&E departments will give us an opportunity to engage with those individuals in their hour of need and our youth workers will be on hand to offer tailored support to lead them away from the violence that caused them to end up in hospital.”
