West of England Mayor Unveils Violence Prevention Office Initiative

A regional mayor has declared an intention to invest in a new office dedicated to preventing knife crime and serious violence, aiming to “save lives” prior to incidents occurring. Dan Norris, the West of England Mayor, confirmed these plans for what will be the UK’s inaugural Office of Violence Prevention during a visit to the Empire Fighting Chance Boxing Gym in Bristol. Clare Moody, the Police and Crime Commissioner for Avon and Somerset, remarked that while discussions often revolve around incident response, “prevention is how we save lives.” Mr. Norris stated: “Serious violence is a problem for all of us, so it’s a problem we all have to solve together.” He further commented: “It’s an approach proven by other regions around the world. I’m delighted to be making this announcement at Empire Fighting Chance, who are already part of work to tackle knife crime in our cities and market towns, to give young people a chance to turn their lives around. Working with the police, NHS, and key partners, we can deliver a safer region.” Ms. Moody emphasized that young people “need to have hope.” She further stated: “This is not a policing issue alone and has to include partners working effectively to deliver prevention, intervention and long-term solutions that tackle root causes of knife crime.” According to officials, proposals for funding the Office of Violence Prevention are scheduled to be presented to the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority’s Committee in January. For updates, follow BBC Somerset on Facebook and X. Story ideas can be submitted via email or WhatsApp at 0800 313 4630. This material is copyrighted by BBC in 2024, with all rights reserved. The BBC bears no responsibility for the content of external websites. Information regarding our external linking policy is available.