Agencies from across York and North Yorkshire – including NHS Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board – have come together to publish a Serious Violence Response Strategy (SVRS), assessing the current state of serious violence across our region and assigning key priorities to help combat it.
The Serious Violence Duty (SVD) introduced by the Home Office in January 2023 requires the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner to convene key local stakeholders to work in partnership to prevent and reduce serious violence that occurs in the local area.
To achieve this, North Yorkshire Police (NYP), North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue (NYFRS), North Yorkshire Council (NYC), City of York Council (CYC), Probation Service Yorkshire and the Humber (PSYH), and NHS Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board (ICB), have been working together with the North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner (OPFCC) to produce a comprehensive Needs Assessment and Response Strategy for York and North Yorkshire.
NHS Humber and North Yorkshire ICB North Yorkshire Director, Wendy Balmain, and Director for York, Sarah Coltman-Lovell, said: “We fully endorse a multi-agency approach towards tackling serious violence and we welcome the publication of the Serious Violence in North Yorkshire and York Strategic Needs Assessment 2023-24.
“The ICB is committed to working alongside our partners to identify the risk factors that increase the likelihood of violence, and how these factors can then be reduced through prevention, diversion, and early intervention.”
The strategy has identified five key priorities to focus on in combatting serious violence across North Yorkshire and York:
- Priority 1: Awareness Raising and Public Perception
- Priority 2: Children and Young people – Under 18 (school age)
- Priority 3: Possession and Use of Weapons
- Priority 4: Alcohol, Violence and Night-time Economy (NTE)
- Priority 5: Violence Against Women and Girls
The Partnership will now continue to work together to ensure the implementation and success of the strategy. This includes monitoring the delivery and impact of a number of prevention and early intervention-oriented projects, supported through the Serious Violence Duty Prevention and Early Intervention Fund.
Read the full media release, here.