The Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for Thames Valley has been awarded Home Office funding to support the creation of a Violence Reduction Unit (VRU).
The Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for Thames Valley has been awarded Home Office funding to support the creation of a Violence Reduction Unit (VRU) which will help identify what is driving violent crime in the region.
The initiative 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. It will be responsible for identifying what is driving violent crime in the Thames Valley and coming up with a co-ordinated response.
Anthony Stansfeld, Police and Crime Commissioner for Thames Valley, said:
“I am delighted to have been awarded this funding for the Thames Valley. A partnership approach to tackling violent crime is a key priority for my office. We have already been working extensively with partners, from across the region, as part of the Early Intervention Youth Fund.
The work of the Violence Reduction Unit will provide wide-reaching benefits to communities and underpins my strategic priorities as Police and Crime Commissioner for the region. I am pleased to have been able to secure this funding to tackle serious violence and look forward to seeing the results.”
Announcing the £35million of funding to 18 areas, including the Thames Valley, Policing Minister Kit Malthouse said:
“To beat knife crime we must do two things: first we need assertive, high profile police enforcement and second, we need a coordinated approach to the long term solutions to violence in society, especially amongst the young. These new units should help us get results on both.”
The Violence Reduction Unit will be tasked with delivering both short and long-term strategies to tackle violent crime, involving police, healthcare workers, community leaders and others from across the Thames Valley.
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Further details on the Home Office funding can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/news/funding-for-violence-reduction-units-announced.
Further information about the Early Intervention Youth Fund can be found on the OPCC website - https://www.thamesvalley-pcc.gov.uk/get-involved/early-intervention-youth-fund/.
