Nottinghamshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner Paddy Tipping and Chief Constable Craig Guildford have welcomed the Home Secretary’s announcement today (Sunday 29 December 2019) that 18 Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) will share an additional £35 million to continue funding specialist teams to tackle violent crime in their area.
Nottinghamshire will receive, subject to final Home Office approval of plans, a further £880,000 in 2020/21.
Violence Reduction Units, such as the one set up in Nottinghamshire in September this year, bring together different organisations including police, local government, health, community leaders and other key partners to prevent serious violence by understanding its root causes.
Paddy Tipping, who is also Chair of the Board of the Violence Reduction Unit (VRU) for Nottingham and Nottinghamshire, said: “This means that we can embed and build on the projects already underway and support new initiatives designed to tackle serious violence. This funding will provide security for our ambitions for the future.
“The VRU illustrates the huge benefits to be realised from true integration with our partners and I would like to thank all those involved including the police, local government, health, education, community leaders and other key partners who are working with us to tackle violent crime by understanding and addressing its root causes.
“From the outset I’ve made it clear that I believe that some people need support and challenge to overcome their problems. That is something in which we can all play a part and communities which take this responsibility seriously are those most likely to thrive.
“One of the key priorities of the VRU is to steer young people away from crime and violence by providing positive alternatives. Through the VRU, we will now be able to continue to utilise the fantastic resources within our communities including our experienced youth mentors and positive role models to create new opportunities for young people.
“This will enable us to make a real, tangible, difference.”
Nottinghamshire’s Chief Constable Craig Guildford added: "This is great news for Nottinghamshire and I look forward to seeing many of the newly funded outreach and prevention activities come to fruition during 2020.
“The VRU's public health approach continues to develop which this funding will help to support across our County."
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Notes:
The VRU has adopted a public health approach which means that violence is treated in a similar way to a disease. We recognise that enforcement alone will not solve the problem, but by addressing the underlying causes we can deliver long-term sustainable outcomes.
By reducing problems at source, we simultaneously reduce the pressure on the widest possible section of public services which called upon to deal with the consequences of violence.
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