Police boss welcomes cash boost to tackle violent crime in South Yorkshire

The Home Office has announced that a further £1.6 million will be made available to South Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner, Dr Alan Billings, to continue the work of the recently established Violence Reduction Unit in the county.

The unit was launched in September to co-ordinate the local response to serious violence in South Yorkshire.

Its aim is to intensify police action against serious crime and criminal gangs, and to encourage partners to work together to prevent violence happening in the first place by understanding the root causes.

There have been two serious assaults in Sheffield over the last 24 hours, including a stabbing in Barker's Pool in Sheffield city centre.

A 23-year-old man was seriously injured in an attack involving a number of people.

Dr Billings said: “I very much welcome this additional funding of £1.6 million for the next financial year.

“It enables the recently established VRU to continue its work into the new financial year, starting in April.

“The recent stabbing in Sheffield city centre shows how necessary this funding is if we are to get on top of serious violence in South Yorkshire.”

He added: “Since we launched the Violence Reduction Fund in December we have been able to fund more than 20 projects aimed at drawing young people away from violence or helping others to break out of the cycle of crime and violence they may have fallen into.

“We shall be able to continue some of these projects and add others in the coming year.

“I am quite clear that in South Yorkshire we must be utterly determined to crack down hard on those who resort to violence and the gangs where violence often breeds, but also to understand the reasons why people are drawn to violence in the first place in order to steer them away from it.”

Violence Reduction Units have been set up in areas of the country with the worst levels of serious violence.