South Yorkshire Police awarded £1.6m to tackle violent crime

South Yorkshire Police has been awarded another £1.6 million to tackle violent crime.
By Claire Lewis
Published 16th Jul 2020, 11:55 BST
Updated 16th Jul 2020, 12:00 BST
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The Home Office offered the cash to South Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner, Dr Alan Billings, to continue the work of the recently established South Yorkshire Violence Reduction Unit.

The unit sees the police and partner agencies work together to prevent and reduce violence, including knife and gun crime.

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It adopts a ‘public health’ approach to violence by tackling the root cause rather than just dealing with the aftermath of it.

A man was seriously injured in a stabbing on Lyons Street, Pitsmoor, earlier this month. When police arrived they also found evidence that a gun had been fired.A man was seriously injured in a stabbing on Lyons Street, Pitsmoor, earlier this month. When police arrived they also found evidence that a gun had been fired.
A man was seriously injured in a stabbing on Lyons Street, Pitsmoor, earlier this month. When police arrived they also found evidence that a gun had been fired.

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

“It enables the recently established violence reduction unit to continue its work for this financial year.

“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.

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“We shall be able to continue some of these projects and add others between now and the end of March 2021.

“I am quite clear that in South Yorkshire we must do two things. We must come down hard on those who resort to violence and the gangs where violence often breeds. But we must also understand the reasons why people are drawn to violence in the first place and find ways of steering them away from it.”

Rachel Staniforth, Joint Head of the South Yorkshire Violence Reduction Unit, said: “It is excellent news that we have received further funding and are able to progress with the work that is already underway in South Yorkshire.

“During the first year, we have produced an area profile and response strategy as a requirement of the Home Office funding. The area profile looks at the causes of the causes of violence, across Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield. The response strategy details how we are going to tackle these issues and what the priorities of the partnership are.

“The funding will allow us to embed these priorities and work with our partners on delivering interventions to prevent and reduce violence.”