Commissioner's priority: Violence

We must break the cycle of violent crime. We know that supporting families and young people affected by violence reduces the chances of those people becoming victims or perpetrators of violence later in life.

Devon and Cornwall is a safe place to live, in fact recorded crime rates indicate that most of us are less likely to be a victim of a violent crime in this force area than the vast majority of other parts of the country.

Sadly this is not true for everyone. Some in our society are at increased risk of being a victim of violence, either in the home by an intimate partner or in a public place.Young people are more likely than most to be victims.

Those who go on to perpetrate crime in later life have been exposed to a  range of adversities. They are more likely to have been known to children’s social care, to have been excluded from school and to have witnessed domestic abuse as a child.

Most violence occurs behind closed doors, but while violence in the home might not be the most visible of crimes, the repercussions are felt by us all. Violence against  the  person offences are notably higher as a proportion of total crime in Devon and Cornwall compared to other police force areas in the South West

The effects on our economy, mental health and future are unquestionable. The opportunities to prevent harm are vast.

Our new Serious Violence Prevention Partnership, led in partnership with the Chief Constable, will help to drive the earliest possible interventions through partnership working and the scaling of evidence based practice.

To tackle violence within our communities the Commissioner will:

"Actively tackle violence against women and girls, through Safer Streets approaches and by continuing to address the causes and consequences of domestic and sexual violence."

"Break the cycle of violence by focusing our efforts on prevention and early intervention, and build on innovative support programmes like Operation Encompass and Turning Corners."

"Provide high quality support to victims of violence through commissioning specialist services to help them to cope and recover, and help more victims to remain in the justice system."

"Prepare the Serious Violence Programme Partnership to support local authorities and partners to fulfil their forthcoming Serious Violence Duty through sharing accountability, data and expertise."

Lessons for the forthcoming Duty

Read the reflective blog here from the Serious Violence Prevention team in Devon and Cornwall on the work they’ve conducted in the last two years. They outline the main lessons for agencies in other areas as they prepare to meet the requirements of the Serious Violence Duty.

Reporting serious violence

In an emergency call 999 immediately. 

What to do if you need urgent police help but cannot speak -  Silent_solution_guide.pdf (policeconduct.gov.uk)

If it’s not an emergency Webchat at devon-cornwall.police.uk, complete an online form, or call free on 101.

Or report anonymously to Crimestoppers – find them here Independent UK charity taking crime information anonymously | Crimestoppers (crimestoppers-uk.org)

Getting the help that you need 

Contact the Victim Care Unit at www.victimcaredevonandcornwall.org.uk, live chat or phone 01392 475900 

Contact Victim Support 24/7 www.victimsupport.org.uk/help-and-support/ freephone 08 08 16 89 111 or for Devon and Cornwall Victim Support phone 0300 303 0554

Raising awareness of the programme

You can help to raise awareness of the Violence Prevention Partnership by following us on social media at the following:- 

Instagram or Twitter: DC_PCC and Facebook: DCPCC and reposting violence related posts using the hashtag #BreakTheCycleDC

Other helpful information or websites

Visit Devon and Cornwall's Preventing Serious Violence website here: preventviolence.org.uk

Following the Keyham tragedy, we share our learnings about supporting community recovery at a time of complex need in the Learning from Keyham - Community Recovery Resource Pack