Government awards £1.6m to tackle violence in South Yorkshire

The South Yorkshire Violence Reduction Unit will receive the funding for the year ahead after receiving the same amount in the previous two years.

The unit was set up in 2019 to prevent and reduce violence across South Yorkshire.

It is made up of a range of organisations, including South Yorkshire Police, the NHS, youth offending teams and schools, working together to tackle the issues.

Dr Alan Billings, South Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner said: “I very much welcome the announcement of this funding.

“The Violence Reduction Unit is a long-term project which has two main aims. First it seeks to find ways of stopping people, particularly young people, being exposed to or drawn into violence in the first place. And second it will help those who have been involved in violence to turn their lives around.

“The Violence Reduction Unit is a big and bold partnership bringing together a range of partners – including local authorities, the police, the NHS, Public Health, Department for Work and Pensions, youth offending teams, schools and colleges, the voluntary and faith sectors.

“We also seek to support those community groups who are helping young people to keep away from violence.

“We will reduce violence and violent crime in South Yorkshire through a combination of tough policing and preventive work.”

Rachel Staniforth, head of the unit said: “The continuation of this funding means that we can work with our partners and communities to embed our violence reduction priorities in everything that we all do.

“It is important that we work together to prevent violence, and we have funded many community groups who support young people in many ways. We need to recognise that people can change if they want to and are given the right support and environment to do so.

“One of the biggest causes of violence is deprivation. If we all work together to support people through local community organisations, we can provide opportunities for learning, while also advocating for better housing, employment and equality in education. We can make a difference.

“This funding means that we can continue to support people across the county who need that little bit of help to turn their lives around.”