Hull research shows falls in violence linked to early intervention programmes
They evaluated the impact of violence reduction programmes
New research by the University of Hull has found violence reduction programmes are linked to a reduction in knife-related injuries among young people.
Knife-related injuries among under-25s were around nine per cent lower in areas with Violence Reduction Units.
The programmes, created in 2019, focus on early intervention and tackling the root causes of violence.
They include services like youth mentoring, sports programmes and access to specialist support.
The evaluation focused on 20 police force areas in England and Wales with the highest levels of knife-related violence.
Researchers looked at hospital admissions for violence involving sharp injuries among under-25s.
They compared areas with VRUs to those without a VRU or additional violence reduction funding.
They also found an overall fall in violence related hospital admissions of around 12 per cent with almost 4,000 fewer hospitalisations than expected over five years.
Professor Iain Brennan, who was involved in the study, said "We have known for a long time that violence is years in the making. Part of the solution is dealing with those upstream causes through early intervention and the coordination of services who share responsibility for violence prevention.
“Countries around the world have begun to implement this type of public health approach to violence but this evidence of its effect on serious violence is a world-first and is really encouraging.”