New report after murder of Norwich teenager Joe Dix

Officials may also have failed to offer adequate intervention because they were falsely reassured by Joe Dix's stable family background, the report suggests. 

The review into services provided to Mr Dix and his family in the years before he was killed has highlighted a series of concerns.

It reveals what his family described as 'missed opportunities', as well as the difficulties services face in dealing with the criminal exploitation of children.

What happened to Joe Dix?

Mr Dix was attacked and stabbed outside his flat in Vale Green, Mile Cross, in January 2022, as part of a conflict between his county lines drug gang and members of a rival one.

Hans Beeharry, 20, Benjamin Gil, 19, and Cameron Palmer, 19, were jailed for more than 60 years after they were found guilty of murder.

Joe DIx (Image: Supplied by family of Joe Dix)

The Norfolk Safeguarding Children Partnership (NSCP) has published a report after the teenager's death, and has written to the Home Office stressing the need for more support.

The report refers to Mr Dix as 'Delta' and highlights how he came from a stable and loving home, but became vulnerable to exploitation as county lines activity was taking root in Norfolk.

Flowers in Vale Green, Mile Cross, where Joe Dix was murdered (Image: Newsquest)

'High risk' of exploitation

From his adolescence onwards Mr Dix and his family had dealings with a number of services; including police, the youth justice service, the early help service and children's social care.

After he started at secondary school concerns were raised about him dealing drugs, going missing from home and associating with high-risk offenders.

He was deemed at high risk of criminal exploitation by the age of 14 and at very high risk at 15.

At home, he was described by practitioners and parents as a caring child who was kind and funny, who enjoyed cooking and attending family events.

But at school he was getting involved in violent incidents, fighting with peers, and threatening to stab people.

His parents say they were not told about the extent of his alleged violence outside of the home, but according to the report the reason for this lack of communication remains unclear.

The report said: "It is reasonable to suggest Delta was increasingly caught up in the manipulation, fear and inevitable violence that follows, but despite attempts by services, the trajectory of these risks was not abated."

A system failing children at risk 

The report said "an informed service response was not in place" to support children at risk from gang culture.

It stated: "Professionals and parents trying to safeguard teenagers facing harm outside of the home are being faced by a system that was not designed for the task."

A picture of a young Joe DIx (Image: Submitted by family of Joe Dix)

The report also stated there could have been a "blind spot" in recognising Mr Dix's vulnerability.

He lived in a stable family unit, in a well-resourced home and in an area of relative affluence. His upbringing lacked the "classic push and pull factors" which are recognised as potentially leading to people becoming embroiled in violence.

Chris Robson (Image: Norfolk County Council)

Chris Robson, independent scrutineer of the NSCP and chair of Norfolk Youth Justice Board, said: "Despite the very best efforts of staff and services, the systems they were working in at the time were not set up to support young people facing this kind of harm.

"I have written to the new government to share the learning and to ask for support in tackling this important local and national issue."

What does the family of Mr Dix say?

Mr Dix's parents Emma and Phil, from Salhouse, set up the Joe Dix Foundation - a charity aimed at raising awareness of the dangers of knives and knife crime - in memory of their son.

Emma Dix (Image: Submitted by family of Joe Dix)

The family said: "We welcome the safeguarding reflective learning review into our son’s care. Sadly the review will not change our situation, as our son is dead.

"The review has raised a lot of concerns with his care. However, we feel this only touches the surface of issues and missed opportunities we experienced.

"What we hope is that the areas of concern raised are focused on and improved to provide a better and more streamlined care for other children and their families.

"With serious youth violence increasing, not just in Norfolk, but across the UK, there is distinct need for national procedures to help and support children and their families."

Agencies in Norfolk have changed the ways in which they support families affected by serious youth violence since Mr Dix's death. This has chiefly involved implementing new methods of working to bring information together, better assess risk and provide a more co-ordinated response.