London’s Violence Reduction Unit marks a major milestone as new figures show a 55 per cent fall in hospital admissions for young people injured in knife attacks since 2019.
London’s efforts to tackle violent crime through prevention, early intervention and community-based support have reached a significant milestone, with the Mayor’s Violence Reduction Unit (VRU) set to mark one million people reached through its programmes this month.
The initiative, established by Mayor Sadiq Khan in 2019 as the first of its kind in England and Wales, has worked with young people, families, youth workers and professionals to reduce violence and address the circumstances that can lead to offending.
New figures suggest the approach is delivering measurable results. Hospital admissions for young people injured in knife assaults have fallen by 55 per cent since the unit was established, representing a sharper decline than that recorded across the rest of England.
London has also seen a reduction in the overall number of victims of violent crime. According to the latest figures, there are nearly 12,500 fewer victims of violence resulting in injury than when the VRU was launched. Gun crime and personal robbery have each fallen by more than a quarter over the same period.
Knife crime has continued to decline in the capital. Data shows that London recorded approximately 2,500 fewer victims of knife crime over the past three years, while the number of victims fell by a further 10 per cent in the latest 12-month period.
Prevention at the heart of London’s strategy
Since 2019, Khan has committed more than £140 million to the VRU, supporting a public health model that seeks to prevent violence before it occurs rather than relying exclusively on policing and criminal justice measures.
The unit has delivered interventions, opportunities and diversionary activities to approximately 750,000 young Londoners. A further 250,000 parents, carers, youth workers and other professionals have received training and support to help them identify risks and better support vulnerable children and young people.
The Mayor argues that reducing violence requires coordinated action across schools, communities, public services and law enforcement. While enforcement remains an important part of the response, the VRU’s strategy focuses on addressing the underlying factors that can draw young people into violence and exploitation.
Education is a central element of that work. Research cited by the programme indicates that children excluded from school face twice the risk of becoming involved in violence within the following 12 months. London’s Inclusion Charter, which entered its first full year of operation, has helped reduce suspensions, exclusions and absenteeism across the capital.
The VRU also provides support at critical moments when young people may be particularly vulnerable. Hospital-based youth workers engage with those injured in violent incidents, with the programme reporting that 75 per cent of the young people it supports have been guided away from further harm.
Meanwhile, youth workers operating in police custody suites have engaged with almost 17,000 young people, aiming to interrupt cycles of offending and help individuals find alternatives to further criminal involvement.
At neighbourhood level, the VRU’s flagship MyEnds programme has delivered around 60,000 targeted interventions, directing support towards communities identified as being most affected by violence.
Mayor calls for sustained government funding
Despite the encouraging figures, Khan has warned that continued investment will be essential to maintain the downward trend and prevent violence from returning to previous levels.
The Mayor has pointed to the relationship between reductions in youth services and youth work during the 2010–2019 austerity period and the subsequent increase in violence affecting young people. He argues that prevention programmes need stable, long-term financial support to deliver lasting results.
Khan is therefore urging the Government to strengthen its funding commitment to London’s VRU and similar violence reduction initiatives operating elsewhere in the country. Although the Government already provides some financial support, the Mayor believes multi-year funding arrangements are necessary to allow programmes to plan effectively, retain experienced staff and maintain relationships with vulnerable communities.
The call comes amid a wider national ambition to halve knife crime, an objective that the Mayor says will require sustained cooperation between central government, local authorities, police, schools and community organisations.
To highlight the work taking place on the ground, Khan and VRU Director Lib Peck visited a programme run by Croydon Amateur Boxing Club. The visit showcased how community-based activities can offer young people positive opportunities, supportive relationships and alternatives to involvement in violence.
The one-million milestone represents a significant expansion of London’s prevention work since 2019. However, City Hall maintains that further progress will depend on maintaining the combination of targeted policing, early intervention and investment in the services that help young people avoid violence in the first place.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “I set up the Violence Reduction Unit just over seven years ago because of a clear and long-held view that we cannot arrest our way out of violence. Violent crime is preventable, not inevitable.
“As we hit the milestone of reaching one million young people through the VRU, we are able to demonstrate that a public health approach to tackling violence and exploitation works. Hospital admissions of young people for knife assault are down by more than half, and there are thousands of fewer victims of violence and gun crime, but I’m clear there is more to do to reduce violence and exploitation.
“Our investment has not only provided interventions and positive opportunities; it has also delivered support and training for thousands of youth workers, mentors and school staff that work with young people across our city.
“We are turning the tide in our efforts to tackle violence and look forward to working with the Government in order to realise our shared national ambition of halving knife crime, supported by a long-term, multi-year financial backing that our communities deserve.”
Lib Peck, Director of London’s Violence Reduction Unit, said: “Reaching one million Londoners is testament to the power of partnership and our city-wide commitment to the view that violence is preventable, not inevitable.
“Our prevention and early intervention approach is built around catching young people at points of crisis or vulnerability and giving them the support they need towards safety and opportunity.
“The figures show progress through prevention with fewer young people in hospital and declining violence and knife crime. History shows what happens when you cut the very services working to prevent violence and so it’s crucial that we keep the momentum up so that every young person in London is safe and supported to thrive.” Photo by Callum Darragh, Wikimedia commons.
