In January 2023, the Government introduced a new Serious Violence Duty on public bodies to ensure relevant services work together to share data and knowledge and allow them to target interventions to prevent serious violence.
Why has the duty been introduced?
Serious violence has a devastating impact on victims and their families, instils fear within communities and is extremely costly to society. Incidents of serious violence have increased, and all Local Authority areas have challenges and opportunities in preventing and responding to serious violence.
What is Serious Violence
The Home Office serious violence strategy shows that since 2014, specific types of serious violence have been increasing faster than other crime types. Specifically, homicide, knife crime, gun crime and county lines drug dealing have increased significantly. The new duty however also widens the scope for each Local Authority to include other forms of serious violence, for example, robbery, aggravated burglary, assaults, arson endangering life, modern slavery, sexual assault, exploitation & disorder.
What needs to happen in Suffolk?
- Statutory duty holders must form a partnership group – to steer activity and ensure engagement from the wider Suffolk system.
- The partnership group must undertake a Strategic Needs Assessment, sharing data and knowledge to understand the root causes of serious violence and understand the challenges and opportunities in Suffolk.
- The partnership group must produce and publish a Serious Violence Strategy for Suffolk by 31st January 2024.
Who are the Duty Holders?
| Suffolk Constabulary Suffolk County Council Suffolk Youth JusticeProbation Service Ipswich Borough Council Babergh and Mid Suffolk District CouncilEast Suffolk Council | West Suffolk Council Integrated Care Boards Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service We must also work with our colleagues in Education and Prisons |
What are we doing in Suffolk?
The Suffolk Serious Violence Duty Partnership formed in late 2022 and has been meeting monthly to develop a response to the new duty. The Strategic Needs Assessment is being undertaken by the Suffolk Office of Data and Analytics (SODA). This includes setting a definition of serious violence, undertaking extensive data collection from partners and analysis to locate specific areas in Suffolk most effected by serious violence and making recommendations based on findings.
The partnership is also developing an engagement plan which will feed into the Strategic Needs Assessment and give a more detailed picture of the causes of Serious Violence in Suffolk and the potential solutions.
How can you help?
If you work with children, young people, adults, or communities whose lives are impacted by serious violence, you can help shape Suffolk’s response. The Serious Violence Duty Partnership are currently seeking your views about serious violence in Suffolk – please help us to create a safer Suffolk by sharing your thoughts and ideas in our Suffolk Serious Violence Duty Strategy Development (smartsurvey.co.uk) If you would like to know more about the Serious Violence Duty, feel you could add value to the partnership group or would like to discuss specific issues relating to serious violence in Suffolk, please contact [email protected]