A new unit to tackle violent crime in Bradford and neighbouring districts was launched today after more than £3 million was allocated to the project by the Home Office.

The West Yorkshire Violence Reduction Unit will focus on high-risk individuals, as well as looking at how the causes of youth violence can be tackled.

The launch event, held in Leeds, was opened by West Yorkshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) Mark Burns-Williamson.

The unit has been set up with £3.37 million after a bid by the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for funding from the Home Office’s Serious Violence Fund.

The West Yorkshire unit is one of 18 VRU’s which have been set up in a bid to tackle violent crime across the country.

Mr Burns-Williamson said: “The VRU has been created to tackle and better understand the root causes of violent crime and bring together organisations to develop a truly collaborative approach to address and prevent serious violence.

“We are pleased that the Home Office has announced a further round of funding for VRU’s so that the work can continue into 2021 and enable us to create a long-term strategy to tackle serious violence in West Yorkshire, and will be pressing for the funding to be sustained over the next Comprehensive Spending Review period from 2021.

“The VRU will not just focus on high-risk individuals, but look at how we can tackle the causes of youth violence. Public health approaches start from the principle that prevention is better than cure.

“Early intervention and partnership working are key to the success of the VRU and this is a fantastic opportunity for us to showcase the work which has already been undertaken by the VRU and how we can work collaboratively with communities and our partner agencies to shape and develop the positive impact VRU can make.”

Also speaking at the event were West Yorkshire Police Violence Reduction leads and Helen Christmas, from Public Health England, along with a number of the projects which have been funded by the VRU since October last year.

The funding for the unit is in addition to the £4.02million of ‘surge’ money, which was already awarded to West Yorkshire last year, which was specifically given to target operational activity for West Yorkshire Police.

Superintendent Damon Solley, Violence Reduction Lead at West Yorkshire Police, said: “We are delighted that the work of Operation Jemlock can continue into the next financial year. The ongoing funding from the Home Office will ensure that we are able to deploy dedicated resources to target serious violence and knife crime.

“The first year of the operation has seen some positive outcomes for the public of West Yorkshire and we are determined to build on that. In addition, I am keen to work in close collaboration with the VRU to embed a joined up approach to tacking violence. The creation of the VRU means we can work hard to prevent and deter but enforcement must also play a part where necessary.”