Greater Manchester Violence Reduction Unit
Addressing the underlying causes of violence and working
together with communities to prevent it.
Addressing the underlying causes of violence and working
together with communities to prevent it.
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.
In July 2020, the VRU launched its Serious Violence Action Plan, which sets out seven priorities for the unit and the framework through which serious violence will be addressed.
Its priorities and commitments were developed following extensive community engagement across all 10 districts of Greater Manchester in 2019. Researchers spoke to people in the street, on public transport, in pubs, at community centres, and in sports clubs, to gauge what concerns they had about violence in their community, their experiences of violent crime and what they wanted a newly formed VRU to do in response. The researchers also worked in schools, colleges, pupil referral units, youth justice teams and youth clubs to capture the voices of children and young people, as well as professionals working with them. In total, the team engaged with over 600 residents and over 300 schools and colleges.
1. Support an improved criminal justice response to all forms of serious violence.
2. Support community and voluntary organisations to deliver activities and interventions in areas of highest need.
3. Ensure that families and communities that are affected by serious violence are effectively supported through our place-based early help offer.
4. Ensure victims of violent crime receive appropriate and timely support.
5. Create a dedicated Violence Reduction Unit for Greater Manchester.
6. Work with Community Safety Partnerships and Local Safeguarding Boards to implement a place-based approach to tackling these issues.
7. Collaborate with schools, colleges and alternative provision to prevent violence.
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.
“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.
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.
Bury Community Spotlight: Jackie's Story
Bolton Community Spotlight: Simon's Story
StreetDoctors - GMVRU, Merseyside VRP and the Mayor and Deputy Mayor of Greater Manchester
Supporters of the Violence Reduction Unit
