Local police have launched a new initiative to tackle violence in the community by visiting offenders and encouraging and help them to give up violence.

The campaign, which involves working with the local authorities and community safety partnerships, wants to convince the would-be-criminal to 'find a new path' and has been launched across all London boroughs by the Metropolitan Police.

Chief Superintendent Sally Benatar of the South West London Command Unit, which covers Kingston, Merton, Wandsworth and Richmond boroughs, said: "As part of our ongoing offender management work, we are planning to visit a number of people who have been linked to violence in our communities.

"The purpose of these visits is to give individuals the opportunity to consider how to change their behaviour and to avoid being in situations that may be violent.

"They will be offered a range of diversion opportunities tailored to their needs - we are working with our Local Authority partners and the Violence Reduction Unit on these diversion options.

"The purpose of the visit will be to engage and encourage the individual to find a new path."

The police want to maintain the reduction in violent crime and build upon the 'natural pause in offending' resulting from the restrictions of movement because of the COVID-19 outbreak.

Extra police patrols will be operational in specific locations, especially those where there have been incidents of violence and robberies over the last three months.

Chief Supt Benatar added: "Officers will be conducting additional policing activity over a 3 week period at these locations, which may include weapons sweeps or knife search operations, as well as community engagement activity."

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