Discover the ways Torbay is working to make its streets safer.
Over the last decade overall crime in England and Wales has consistently fallen. However, serious violence has risen in almost all areas. Serious violence includes:
This increase comes with a shift towards younger people being both victims of harm and causing harm.
Due to this the Government developed the national Serious Violence Strategy 2018. Through the Police, Crime Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 they have introduced the Serious Violence Duty.
Serious violence has a devastating impact on victims, their families and on communities.
No single agency can reduce violence or its impacts. Services and communities need to work together to break the cycle of violence. This will ensure that the safety of everyone will continue to improve.
The specified authorities (responsible agencies) for the Serious Violence Duty are:
Other agencies that have important roles in developing the approach are:
The most important thing is that the approach developed supports local need. This means that the community needs to be at the centre of the work. Everyone must get involved, including:
Involving everyone means that the approach then reflects the needs and experiences of the local community. This then has the greatest impact.
In Torbay we deliver the Serious Violence Duty through the Safer Torbay Partnership. Also known as Torbay’s Community Safety Partnership.
The Serious Violence Duty is new to public sector agencies and its partners. In Torbay for many years, preventing and reducing serious violent crime has been a core theme of several work programmes.
Serious violence is a complex and serious issue that affects many areas. It is not unique to Torbay. Torbay is a very safe place to live and visit, but we are not complacent. We know there is a need for strong partnerships to make sure this type of crime does not increase.
Prevention is at the core to any successful violence reduction approach. It requires a long-term commitment by a range of agencies, individuals, and communities. We need to prevent the physical and psychological damage that violence can cause for:
We are adopting a long-term approach to preventing and reducing serious violence. This is based on public health and community safety outcomes. By taking this approach we will be able to provide sustainable and effecting methods to preventing and reducing serious violence. Now and for future generations.