In London, City Hall is advertising for a director to lead a Violence Reduction Unit. The aim; to tackle all forms of violence across the capital, build on a public health approach and lead a multi-agency response. Deadline for applying is November 26.
Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said he wanted a review as quickly as possible to help develop a long-term public health approach to tackling serious violence in London. The VRU will use a capital-wide review of homicide and serious violence cases to understand and establish key trends to inform its work and set out priorities. It’s taking Glasgow and other cities as a model, where a public health approach has led to reductions in serious violence, it’s claimed.
He said: “The reasons why violent crime is increasing in London and across the country are complex and are years in the making. There is not one simple solution or measure that will reduce levels of violence. Instead, it requires a long-term public health approach working closely across the city with a range of public authorities and charities, coupled to proper policing and enforcement.
“The Violence Reduction Unit will build on the work we have already started at City Hall on a London-wide public health approach to tackling all forms of violence. We will be drawing on the expertise and knowledge of all partners to get the unit off to the best possible start and that includes valuable insight from those that led the successful Glasgow response to violence as part of the Scottish Violence Reduction Unit. But I want to be honest with Londoners – this approach will not deliver results overnight. It is a long-term strategy which in Scotland took a decade to reduce violent crime.
“I’m pleased that all partners have agreed that the unit’s initial focus will centre on the findings of a review of homicide and serious violence cases. This will provide us with the evidence better to understand the areas of high-risk, so we can prioritise efforts and resources to tackle the areas we can make the biggest impact to reduce violence. I am leading London’s response to understanding the causes of violent crime and working to stop it spreading by bringing together specialists from right across the city, but we have to be clear that we could go much further and much faster with greater national investment in our public services.”
