THE Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner has said more needs to be done to prevent knife crime in the region.

Kim McGuinness said stopping young people 'carrying knives and ruining lives' is one of her top priorities.

She said her Northumbria Violence Reduction Unit, Northumbria Police and organisations like Samantha’s Legacy and the Connor Brown Trust are working to deliver life-changing interventions and powerful education work – but that more needs to be done.

It comes after 15-year-old Holly Newton was fatally stabbed in Hexham last week. A 16-year-old boy was also taken to hospital after suffering non-life-threatening injuries.

Ms McGuinness said: "Every time we lose a young life to violence we are reminded of just how important the prevention work we are doing is.

"My Violence Reduction Unit is tasked with bringing everyone together and saying we will not accept violence in our region and this is how we are going to fight it.

"Nothing I can say will bring back the lives tragically lost in recent months but I can say there is a lot of work happening and we desperately want to be scaling it up and reaching more and more impressionable young kids.

"You see, it’s not just about officers on the streets and catching those carrying knives. I want to reach kids before that – I want to get in there before a weapon reaches their hands."

READ MORE: 'It hurts to know a family feels like us' - Mum of stabbing victim after Holly's death

As well as delivering sessions in schools and youth clubs, other approaches to reach those on the cusp of crime and encouraging them to make positive choices are happening across the region, the PCC said.

One of the approaches they are working on is implementing 'navigators' into hospitals.

A&E offers a key touch point for specialists to engage with vulnerable young people who present with injuries and issues which may be a symptom of involvement in serious violence and wider organised crime and vulnerability, the PCC said.

The navigators would be there to guide and provide practical support to people who may be experiencing trauma and serious adversity.

'Student support champions', who work to build trusted relationships with young people so they have someone to confide in and get support, are now on hand in targeted schools across Newcastle, and Ms McGuinness said she is keen to expand the scheme further.

The PCC said she believes it feels like "things have got worse over the last decade or so" in relation to knife crime.

"That’s everywhere - up and down the country - and we are clearly not immune to it up here," she said. 

"That’s why we need to throw everything we have at this - more of the mentoring, the youth diversion schemes, the early interventions.

"And everyone: parents, teachers, friends we all need to be the having conversations, raising awareness, creating positive opportunities."

She added: "Crucially let’s not forget the bigger picture either. We have to look at the causes.

"The links between poverty, deprivation and serious violence are clear. In 80 per cent of our harm hotspot areas in Northumbria, 1 in 10 people suffer from income deprivation.

"We fight poverty, we fight crime."

On Monday (January 30), the Prime Minister said that the death of Holly shows the Government still has work to do.

He was asked during a visit to the North East what message he had for the families of knife crime victims in the region.

"There will be more police officers on the streets of the North East," he added. 

"It’s also about giving the police the powers they need, so when it comes to knife crime; stop and search is important."

He added: "I want all of you to walk around and feel safe, and when things don’t go right, justice happens and it happens quickly.

"I think we are making progress, and things are moving in the right direction, but the tragedy that you talked about showed us that we’ve got work to do."