The Royal Navy’s flagship knife crime prevention and youth engagement programme will expand beyond Northern England as it begins its third year.
Both His Majesty the King and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer have been briefed on the Combat Sports Initiative (CSI), delivered by sailors and Royal Marines in their own time at gyms in the North.
The programme uses sports, fitness and combative activities such as Thai boxing to channel the energy and time of young people towards something positive.
Building on the success in The North, the team behind it plan to introduce their simple but effective workout/training sessions to Scotland and London.
Marine and navy instructors teach not just fighting sports, but also the importance of discipline, order, strong personal values and respect in young peoples’ lives.
The team – all volunteers – delivered five sessions across Northern England, spanning Merseyside to Tyneside, in 2025.
They also extended the project to the South Coast with a Thai boxing week in Portsmouth involving fighters from all three Services to showcase the military’s commitment to youth development, and attracted elite-level civilian coaches.
In August, CSI expanded further with the launch of the Combat Sister Project, designed to engage young girls and women. The project has grown rapidly, with hundreds expressing interest and actively participating.
The goal of all these initiatives and sessions is to steer youngsters away from the influence of gangs/knife crime/possible unruly behaviour.
Organiser Warrant Officer 2 Dennis Harrison believes CSI has become “a national force for positive change” since the first session in Stockton-on-Tees two years ago.
“The initiative has also delivered tangible safeguarding outcomes,” Dennis said proudly.
“CSI has identified and supported its first young person at risk of gang involvement, working closely with schools, local councils and the West Yorkshire Violence Reduction Unit to secure gym access and travel funding.”
Similar partnership models are now underway in Liverpool through the ‘Weapons Down, Gloves Up’ campaign and in Teesside with Stockton Council.
There’s also evidence that the sessions have led to a boost in interest in joining the armed forces in towns and cities where they’ve been held.
More than 1,000 young people have attended the sessions delivered across Northern England to date – there were five delivered in 2026.
The programme enters 2026 with a new sponsorship programme now including world-renowned ONE Championship and UFC fighters, while collaboration has also begun with the family of the late Ricky Hatton and the Hatton Foundation.
The first session of 2026 takes place on January 31 at Two Brothers Gym in Birkenhead.
Images provided by Royal Navy
