Funding for Violence Reduction Units announced:
Eighteen PCCs have been awarded £35 million to set up specialist teams to tackle violent crime in their area. The Violence Reduction Units will bring together different organisations, including the police, local government, health, community leaders and other key partners to tackle violent crime by understanding its root causes. The new units will be responsible for identifying what is driving violent crime in the area and coming up with a co-ordinated response. www.gov.uk/government/news
London Mayor sets up Violence Reduction Unit to tackle violent crime:
Mayor Sadiq Khan has announced plans to establish a new Violence Reduction Unit to reduce violence in the capital by taking a public health approach.
A public health approach treats violent crime as a disease – first working to contain it and stop it from spreading, then addressing the root causes. In practice, this often involves intervening at critical moments in a young person’s life; for example, if they have suffered trauma or been excluded from school. www.london.gov.uk/city-hall-blog
The Scottish Violence Reduction Unit (VRU):
Established in 2005 to tackle violence in Glasgow, the Scottish Violence Reduction Unit is now a national centre of expertise on violence. Supported by the Scottish Government the unit has adopted a public health approach, treating violence as an infection which can be cured. The VRU is the only police member of the World' Health Organisation's Violence Prevention Alliance. The VRU believe violence is preventable – not inevitable.
Fixing violence in London - Glasgow-style:
Val McDermid asks if Sadiq Khan’s plan for a Glasgow-style crime reduction unit can have the same transformative effect in London as it did in Scotland.
"If we change the script people live by", writes Val, "then surely we should be able to alter our outcomes".
Recorded for BBC Radio 4's 'A Point of View' programme.
Presenter: Val McDermid, Producer: Adele Armstrong.
