Greater Manchester Violence Reduction Unit

Greater Manchester Violence Reduction Unit

Addressing the underlying causes of violence and working
together with communities to prevent it.

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Working to reduce violence in Greater Manchester

Greater Manchester Violence Reduction Unit (VRU) is a team of subject leads and experts from Greater Manchester Police (GMP), Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA), Greater Manchester National Probation Service, Public Health, NHS, Education, Community Voluntary Sector, Victim’s Voice, Youth Justice and Local Authorities, addressing the underlying causes of violence and working together with communities to prevent it.

Under the direct governance and oversight of the Deputy Mayor of Greater Manchester, Greater Manchester Combined Authority plays host to the VRU.

The Greater Than Violence Strategy

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The Greater than Violence strategy commits to working together with individuals and communities to understand their strengths, challenges, and ideas to tackle violence.

Led by the Mayor and Deputy Mayor of Greater Manchester, the Greater than Violence Strategy will work to improve lives by preventing violence, supporting victims, families and communities affected, and providing positive opportunities to those at risk of becoming victims, witnesses, or perpetrators, including education programmes, community sports, targeted mentoring, opportunities to develop new skills and therapeutic support.

The strategy is founded on two pillars: preventing violence from happening and responding swiftly and appropriately when it occurs.

Community-led approach

The community-led approach to violence reduction, means the VRU works closely with communities to understand the strengths, challenges, and needs of the community and determine how local investments will be made.

Several boroughs across the city-region have received funding from the VRU as part of its investment in community-led programmes, outlined in Greater Manchester’s Serious Violence Action Plan.

Public health approach

“The key objective is to ensure we take a public health approach, working collaboratively and in partnership where we come together and our policies are strongly aligned. We’ll be looking at our trends, information and evidence to find solutions collaboratively with our partners” – Helen Lowey.

Take a look at our latest initatives

Hope Hack

Young people from across Greater Manchester have shared their views, thoughts, and ideas on how to make the city region a safer and fairer place for all.

Navigator Project

The Greater Manchester Navigator Project is a youth-focused, violence reduction project based in four Greater Manchester hospitals.

The Social Switch Project

The Social Switch Project is switching the narrative on how social media’s relationship to youth violence is understood, tackled and solved.

Speaking Out Could Save a Life

Greater Manchester comes together to stop knife crime and serious violence.

Latest News
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Young people report reduction in violent experiences thanks to hospital-based mentoring programme
A mentoring programme for victims of violence based in four of Greater Manchester’s hospitals has led to a reduction in violent experiences in its first two years The programme has since been scaled up with community and custody referral routes now live The findings come from an independent evaluation by Crime and Well-Being Big Data […]
13 August 2024
Community Spotlight: Salford Foundation STEERing Greater Manchester in the right direction with youth project
Young people at risk of serious violence or criminal exploitation are benefitting from a mentoring service helping them to build positive relationships and set future goals. Often displaying aggression and violent tendencies toward peers and teachers, Alex* struggled in school. He was referred to Salford Foundation’s STEER service, which aims to increase resilience and motivation […]
7 August 2024
Youth voice to reach Parliament
Young people’s views on gender-based violence and child exploitation in Greater Manchester will inform a national report about how to make society a fairer and safer place. The ‘Reimagined Manifesto’, created by organisation, The Hope Collective, will be published in December and aims to drive change by influencing key-decision makers in Government. Key themes emerging […]
9 July 2024

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