PCC funds expansion of VR education programme to combat knife crime

Hundreds more schoolchildren are to benefit from immersive Virtual Reality (VR) education allowing them to experience the consequences of knife crime and ASB thanks to the expansion of an education programme.

County Durham and Darlington Police and Crime Commissioner Joy Allen has approved funding worth £4,500 to support the Rotary Club in Newton Aycliffe as it delivers an engaging VR project placing young people at the centre of a range of interactive scenarios involving knives and gangs.

Last year, 10 VR headsets and the licence required to deliver the education programme were purchased with moneyfrom the Government’s Better Youth Spaces Fund. The programme is now delivering sessions to 1,194 students in primary, secondary and SEN schools across the area.

The community organisation plans to expand the programme from September 2026, educating even more pupils about the reality of knife crime and ASB to improve their future decision-making and increase their awareness of risk.

Alongside the PCC’s contribution, which will fund the Virtual Decisions licence and VR accessories including headphones, the Rotary Club has invested a further £2k into the scheme. It has also received match funding from Durham Action Against Crime (£2k), housing provider Livin (£2k), and The Cornforth Partnership (£2.2k).

This match funding will cover the costs of extra headsets to enable the programme to be delivered in schools and youth settings across the county.

The Commissioner has prioritised Serious Violence in her Police, Crime and Justice Plan, vowing to deliver on her statutory duty to prevent and tackle its underlying causes with partners.

Among several commitments she has made to address violent culture and prevent harm is a pledge to promote education as a protective factor against involvement in serious violence, working closely with partners in education to improve school attendance and reduce exclusions.

Police and Crime Commissioner Joy Allen said: “Knife crime in Durham remains low compared to other areas of the country but it is still an issue. Our young people are exposed to the same influences and risks as their peers and some are already engaging in risky behaviour that could escalate into violence if left unchecked. It’s vital we intervene early to break the cycle.

“The visit of the Knife Angel monument last year provided a platform to initiate difficult conversations about knife crime and to show young people what really is at stake by carrying knives to inform their future decisions. This project has built on the momentum of this work, allowing young people to immerse themselves in situations that explore the dangers and potential consequences of carrying knives so they can ‘feel’ the emotional impact of their decisions in a safe environment.

“It goes back to prevention – an approach to community safety that lies at the foundations of my plan – and sparing families the pain and devastation of losing people they cherish to violence by changing behaviour before it’s too late. Through this important work, we will stop serious violence and knife crime from gaining a greater foothold in our communities.”

Virtual Decisions is an award-winning VR in Education programme which has so far reached more than 20,000 young people across the UK. More than nine in 10 (91%) of the young people who have participated in the programme said they were more likely to consider the consequences of knife crime after the experience and 96% agreed that carrying a knife is more dangerous than not carrying a knife.

Throughout the past 12 months, the PCC and members of the County Durham and Darlington Serious Violence Prevention Partnership have continued to fund other educational workshops and one-to-one intervention programmes working directly with children and young people – many of them vulnerable and at serious risk of engaging in violence - to change futures.

This includes supporting Foundation of Light, the official charity of Sunderland AFC, for the delivery of an intensive 12-week intervention programme working with young people one-to-one to improve their engagement in education, enhance their decision-making skills and increase their awareness of the consequences of serious violence.

The project targeted young people aged nine to 15 not currently involved in criminal activity but who could be at risk, focusing on local schools, youth provision and community organisations near its existing base at the Caterpillar Leaning Centre in Peterlee.

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