MVRP holds its first conference to prevent serious violence. People are sitting in the room in front of a lectern and large digital screen.
The work spearheaded by Merseyside’s Violence Reduction Partnership to prevent and reduce serious violence was in the spotlight this week as a major partnership event was held focused on making our region even safer.
The ‘Driving Change: The Impact of Prevention’ conference showcased the innovative work which has been delivered by the Merseyside Violence Reduction Partnership (MVRP) over the past five years and provided insights, evidence and learning from the projects it delivers with a wide range of partners and commissioned services.
The event featured speakers from the police, health professionals, teachers, youth practitioners, the probation service, those with lived experience and young people, all focused on providing an insight into the most effective ways to tackle the underlying causes and triggers of violence and to support young people and their families.
Taking place at the Spine in Paddington Village, the conference brought together 160 professionals from across Merseyside with a focus on how all organisations can work closer together to create brighter, violence-free communities.
The event was opened by Merseyside’s Police and Crime Commissioner, Emily Spurrell, who oversees and commissions the MVRP, with closing speech provided by Deputy Chief Constable, Chris Green.
Over the past five years, the Merseyside Violence Reduction Partnership has helped lead the way in reducing serious violence in our region.
As a result, we’ve seen serious violence, and gun and knife offences all fall. We’ve also seen fewer young people admitted to hospital with an injury caused by a knife or due to serious violence.
This is hugely welcome, and it is testimony to the passion, energy and dedication of this team, a whole host of committed partners and our communities.
But we also there is still more we can all do. Today’s showcase event is a brilliant opportunity for the MVRP and the organisations it commissions and funds to showcase the innovative work that’s been undertaken and share evidence, learning and insight into what works to prevent serious violence and the harm it causes.
Merseyside Police and Crime Commissioner Emily Spurrell
Tackling serious violence is a year-round focus for Merseyside Police. Officers are working day and night to protect our communities through targeted foot patrols, test purchase operations, knife detection operations such as the deployment of knife arches, search warrants and a range of police powers such as Serious Violence Reduction Orders (SVROs).
This robust action goes hand in hand with prevention and that’s why the work of our Violence Reduction Partnership is equally as important to address the root causes of violence. Through community engagement, education and collaboration with various stakeholders, we are driving real change and seeing serious violent offences fall.
However, we know that one incident is one too many so we will continue to drive forward with our work to tackle this crime and bring offenders to justice. By investing in prevention, we are investing in a brighter, safer future for everyone.
Merseyside Police, Deputy Chief Constable Chris Green
The conference featured more than 25 sessions from a wide range of experts and local leaders who presented evidence and learning on how violence can be prevented based around the five key areas which the MVRP focuses its work – early years, education, health, whole family approach and preventing offending.
These ranged from presentations on topics as diverse as providing better support for vulnerable women who are pregnant, to preventing child to parent and adult abuse, gambling and a wide range of education programmes in schools and alternative settings.
There were also sessions on supporting young people with a parent in prison, diverting those on the cusp of the criminal justice system and providing better opportunities and employment.
There was also a focus on the ‘voice of the child’ with presentations from young people who have experience of have a parent in prison who have been supported by the MVRP’s partner Time Matters and also about the impact of youth diversion activities from young people from the charity Toxteth El8te.
Professor Zara Quigg from the Public Health Institute at Liverpool John Moores University, also presented on the academic research and evaluation which underpins all the MVRP’s work.
All the sessions were designed to demonstrate the difference acting early and quickly can make to preventing violence from occurring in the first place.
Partnership work is at the heart of everything we do at the MVRP, so this event is a fantastic opportunity to bring professionals from across our region together to look at how we can continue to build upon our work from the last five years to prevent serious violence.
During that time, we’ve worked with so many amazing individuals and organisations who are absolutely committed to reducing harm, supporting young people and their families and tackling the root causes of violence.
Today’s event is all about providing a platform to showcase the difference they are making, while sharing our learning from the past five years to better equip organisations across our region to reduce and prevent violence.
Anyone can be affected by serious violence and sadly, our region is no stranger to the life-changing consequences – for victims, relatives, loved ones, friends and witnesses – when tragedies occur.
That’s what drives us to work even harder and why prevention is essential.
Evidence shows we are heading in the right direction and through our ‘Driving Change’ conference we want to help all agencies in Merseyside continue this vital work.
MVRP Director, Supt Georgie Garvey
