The South Yorkshire Violence Reduction Unit is based at Shepcote Lane in Sheffield and is working across South Yorkshire to prevent and reduce violence.
In South Yorkshire, we are taking a public health approach to preventing and reducing violence. This means that we look at the causes of violence, working in partnership to stop violence before it starts, halt the progression of violence once it has already begun and provide ways out for people already entrenched in violent behaviour.
View an animation that explains the public health approach to violence
The South Yorkshire Violence Reduction Unit partnership is led by Dr Alan Billings, South Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner and consists of:
- Office of the South Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner
- South Yorkshire Police
- Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council
- Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council
- Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council
- Sheffield City Council
- Public Health England
- Barnsley Clinical Commissioning Group
- Doncaster Clinical Commissioning Group
- Rotherham Clinical Commissioning Group
- Sheffield Clinical Commissioning Group
- National Probation Service
- Community Rehabilitation Company
- Department for Work and Pensions
- Youth Offending Teams
- Education sector representatives
- Community, Faith and Voluntary sector representatives
All partners are clear that community voices and ideas are central to preventing and reducing violence in South Yorkshire.
We have voluntary and community sector representatives from across the four districts (Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield) working together and sitting on our Violence Reduction Executive Board.
In addition to this, we want to ensure that we hear the voice of community members who are not often given the opportunity to be involved in processes from the very beginning.
The South Yorkshire Violence Reduction Unit has a number of initiatives aimed at primary, secondary and tertiary prevention.
South Yorkshire is one of 18 areas worst affected by violence in the UK. In August 2019, the Home Office announced that they would be providing the South Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner, with £1.6m funding to set up a Violence Reduction Unit (VRU) in South Yorkshire. A further £1.6m has been provided for 2020/21. The funding allocations are based on NHS data on hospital admissions for sharp object assault.
Find out more about the South Yorkshire Violence Reduction Unit
Or by following on Twitter @SY_VRU