Mayor's Violence Reduction Unit Reaches One Million Londoners

Mayor Sadiq Khan announced that London's Violence Reduction Unit (VRU), the first such body in England and Wales, has this month hit the milestone of one million Londoners reached since its launch in 2019. That total comprises three-quarters of a million young people who received interventions, diversionary activities and support directly, plus a further 250,000 parents, carers and professionals who received dedicated training, upskilling and support. New data shows hospital admissions of young people for knife assault have fallen 55 per cent since the VRU was founded — a steeper decline than the rest of the country. Over the same period, nearly 12,500 fewer people have been recorded as victims of violence with injury; knife crime has fallen by around 2,500 victims in the last three years; and both gun crime and personal robbery are each down more than a quarter. In the most recent 12 months, knife crime has dropped a further 10 per cent. The Mayor has invested more than £140 million in the VRU. Hospital-based youth workers have guided 75 per cent of the young people they support away from further harm, and youth workers in custody suites have connected with nearly 17,000 young people. Khan is calling on the Government to commit to long-term, multi-year funding to help achieve the shared national ambition of halving knife crime.