‘It will take years to tackle tide of violence in our communities’

A CRIME commissioner overseeing Yorkshire’s largest police force has warned it will take years to tackle violent crime plaguing communities in major cities and towns as well as rural areas.

West Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner Mark Burns-Williamson admitted that whilst he welcomed £3.7m of funding from the Home Office to set up a Violence Reduction Unit in the county to tackle the most serious of crimes, in reality solving the issue is a long-term problem which requires various agencies and communities working together.

His comments come as latest statistics show violent crime has soared to a new record high in West Yorkshire with 280 acts of violence recorded each day.

West Yorkshire Police recorded a total of 102,172 cases of violence against the person in 2018, the highest number since records began in 2007.

Meanwhile, the number of serious crimes involving knives or other sharp objects is also at the highest level for any single year since 2011.

Mr Burns-Williamson admitted the challenges forces facing police forces in combatting violent crime ahead of a speech at a public law lecture at Leeds Beckett University this evening.

He said: “Serious violence blights some of our communities and although the impact is often felt in our large cities, the problem also reaches further into towns and rural areas.

“Any public health approach we take needs to be adopted on a consistent basis locally, but also on a national level investing in preventative measures and early intervention wherever possible.

“Earlier this year, the Home Office announced funding to 18 police force areas to set up Violence Reduction Units, including £3.7m

Mark Burns-Williamson, West Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner.

here in West Yorkshire. Whilst this investment is welcome, reducing violence is a long-term challenge requiring sustained resources and partnership working over a number of years to make a lasting impact.”

As part of his speech to students, Mr Burns-Williamson will also detail other projects running throughout the country in conjunction with West Yorkshire Police, Youth Offending Teams and the Prison Service as part of early intervention projects.

He will also speak about resource challenges police forces across the country currently have as well as competing priorities and understanding what a “public health approach” means.

Deveral Capps, Dean of Leeds Law School, said: “Our Law in Practice series provides a great opportunity to network and hear from speakers from a range of backgrounds and contexts.”

He added: “We are delighted to welcome Mark to Leeds Law School to continue that tradition of providing insight into developments and key issues of relevance to the legal sector and professional practice.”

Reducing violence is a long-term challenge.