The West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner, Simon Foster, is urging the government to continue funding important work designed to prevent and tackle the causes of violence.
With Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, set to deliver her Autumn budget on Wednesday, the PCC said he wants the government to prioritise long term funding for the region’s Violence Reduction Partnership.
The VRP was established in 2019 and tackles the root causes of violence by working with a range of experts from Local Authorities, Policing, Health, Education and alongside communities to provide support where it is needed most.
The PCC said: “We have seen the positive impact of this work in the West Midlands in many ways.
“Serious youth violence here has dropped by almost 13% this year and knife crime incidents by 18%.
“This proves that prevention and early intervention is the way forward.
“Violence Reduction Partnerships require long term funding. The efforts and resources we put in now will help future generations to come and help prevent and reduce violence from occurring in the first place.
“But there is still lots to do and we cannot be complacent. Work like this needs to be backed with consistent funding.”
The VRP aims to reduce violence affecting young people by providing bespoke support, mentoring, therapy, and access to safe spaces.
Over the summer, the VRP funded support and activities which benefitted more than 8,000 children and since April, navigators in custody blocks have engaged with nearly 600 young people.
Our young leaders are actively out in their communities providing them with the knowledge and skills they need to understand online harm and build safety.
The West Midlands Faith Alliance is made up of 500 members from different faith backgrounds, institutions and communities who are all striving to strengthen the role faith communities play in protecting our young people.
This year the Alliance funded three safe spaces offering activities to local young people.
The VRP offers a wide range of training for professionals and young people, which includes sessions on understanding and responding to trauma, guidance for parents and supporting those with additional needs.
Training programmes reached just over 12,500 individuals this year, of which almost 8000 were children and young people.
