Violence Prevention

What is Violence Prevention?

Violence Prevention is a coordinated and evidence based approach to stopping a range of violent acts against individuals and groups. This is done through a Public Health Approach and involves a range of partners.

The UK Government identified 18 areas with high violence and set up violence reduction units in 2019. In Wales, there is one area that was identified, which is the South Wales Police Force area, covering the local authority areas of Swansea, Neath Port Talbot, Bridgend, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Merthyr Tydfil, Vale of Glamorgan and Cardiff. The Violence Prevention Unit involves a team drawn from Police, Police and Crime Commissioners Office, Public Health Wales, Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service, Home Office and the third sector.

The support, projects, programmes, and research that the Violence Prevention Unit are delivering is all available from the website https://www.violencepreventionwales.co.uk/. Because the funding is linked to the violence reduction unit areas, the delivery of interventions are focused on South Wales. However, there is a wider focus on the whole of Wales in regards to policy development.

The Wales Safer Communities Network and the Violence Prevention Unit are working together to support the development of Wales guidance to deliver the Violence Prevention Duty that is anticipated as part of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill which is currently progressing through the UK Government processes.

For information on all of what can constitute violence please see VAWDASV, Serious Violence and Organised Crime, Modern Slavery and Exploitation, and Crime and Crime Prevention topics.