Tackling gang and youth violence in Bradford has become a Government priority, it was announced today.

The city was named by Home Secretary Theresa May as one of four new areas where action will be taken by the Home Office’s Ending Gang and Youth Violence frontline team.

Bradford, along with Leeds and London boroughs Merton, and Hammersmith and Fulham, have been identified as needing extra Government funds to stamp out gang and knife crime.

In a separate scheme, an additional £500,000 will also be used nationally to support young people at risk of becoming violent offenders and those already involved in gang and knife crime, to encourage them on to a different path, the Home Office said.

The Home Secretary said: “Serious youth violence has a devastating impact on communities and needs to be stopped. We need to change the life stories of the young people who too often end up dead or seriously injured on our streets or are sucked into a life of violence and crime.”

She added that the new package of support would help police “protect communities” as well as boost the work done by charities and voluntary groups.

Bradford Council deputy leader, Councillor Imran Hussain, who is responsible for community safety, said he welcomed the announcement, but added that he was keen to see hard facts about how much money and what real resources would be made available.

“It doesn’t necessarily mean that Bradford has worse problems than anywhere else and, of course, I welcome any initiative aimed at reducing violent crime,” said Coun Hussain.

“I look forward to working with the Home Office on this matter, however at this stage I need to know the particulars and look closely at the finer detail of how it will actually work.”

The Home Office has previously announced £18 million of funding until 2013 to support the police, local agencies and voluntary sector to tackle knife, gun and gang-related violence and prevent youth crime.

The additional £500,000 will go to the £4 million Communities Against Guns, Gangs and Knives Fund, which supports 189 voluntary and community sector organisations.

The recipients of the Communities Against Guns, Gangs and Knives fund will be announced in the New Year.

The Government’s Ending Gang and Youth Violence report was published in November, 2011 in the wake of the August riots.

Gang injunctions were made available for under 18-year-olds and new offences of threatening with a knife in a public place or school were introduced, among changes brought in by the Government.