Serious Violence Strategy

This year, my team has taken a lead role in driving forward Surrey’s response to the national Serious Violence Duty, introduced through the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022.

While Police and Crime Commissioners are not specified authorities under the Duty, I embraced the role of lead convener for
our local partnership – bringing together a wide range of agencies to coordinate efforts to reduce and prevent serious violence across the county.

Together, we undertook a comprehensive Strategic Needs Assessment, which helped us identify the types and causes of serious violence in our communities, and the individuals and groups most
affected.

This evidence-led process informed the development of a local Serious Violence Reduction Strategy, setting out clear actions to enhance and complement the existing work already underway in
Surrey.

Throughout the year, my team has supported delivery across several key thematic areas of serious violence, including:

Knife Crime:

We worked to improve data integrity and build a clearer picture of knife crime in Surrey – supporting the employment of an Intelligence
Operations Developer (IOD), developing a detailed knife crime profile, and strengthening collaboration with health partners.

We also supported community-led initiatives such as Charlie’s Promise, rolled out the Behind the Blade campaign, and co-developed a partnership Knife Crime Strategy alongside Youth Justice and others.

Public Space Violence:

We supported the development of a hotspot policing model by establishing a partnership oversight group and enhancing data analysis to build a deeper understanding of the drivers of
violence in public spaces.

Serious Violence Involving Children:

We expanded the work of the Surrey Safeguarding Adolescent Partnership to better address risks of extra-familial harm.

This included funding Engage workers, exploring the introduction of youth workers in A&E, and working with the Education sector to raise
awareness and provide targeted support.

Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG):

We funded Operation Shield, including officer training for operations in the night-time economy, and supported Circles Southeast to work with individuals displaying unhealthy behaviours.

We also helped shape the VAWG needs assessment by contributing data and insight from our wider partnership.

In total, £546,830.47 in Serious Violence Duty funding was invested locally to support these and many other vital areas of work.

These achievements demonstrate the real-world impact of our partnership-led, prevention-focused approach. Our work is not just about responding to violence – it’s about stopping it before it starts, and giving people the opportunity to thrive.

As we move forward, I remain committed to regularly reviewing our strategy to ensure we stay focused, responsive, and impactful.

Through strong leadership, evidence-driven action, and deep community connections, we are making Surrey safer together.

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