Making Kent and Medway safer, together
We are making the county safer and our young people lives better, by working with our partners and communities to prevent and reduce violence.
We believe violence is preventable, not inevitable. By addressing the root causes of violence and intervening early there will be safer communities, fewer victims, and better outcomes for us all.
Together with the police, local councils, health and education professionals, as well as families and the wider community, we seek to engage, empower and educate young people, giving them a voice and choice.
We devise, test and scale impactful ways to work with young people focusing on those at greater risk, diverting them away from violence and supporting those who may already be involved to get out.
Our work spans encouraging young people to get involved in positive alternatives through our sports programs, to providing education and training so more young people, families, communities and organisations can play their part.
We also provide specialist intervention to support young people who are at risk of, or have been involved in, violence, gangs or exploitation.
Ultimately, our focus is on protecting and improving the lives of young people across the county – helping them to stay safe so they can
reach their full potential.
Who are we and what do we do?
The Kent and Medway Violence Reduction Unit is a partnership between the police, local councils, health service providers and other key agencies to deliver a reduction in violence across the county. It has a focus on young people, reflecting the prevalence of violence in this age group, taking a public health approach.
Established in 2019 and funded by the Home Office, we are one of 20 VRUs across the country providing leadership and strategic coordination of local responses to preventing and reducing violence. While violence in Kent and Medway is not as prevalent as some of the larger cities such as London and Manchester, there are significant challenges to address, with the most frequent types of violence being violence with injury, knife and weapon, robbery and violence linked to drug supply.
Kent and Medway’s geography and demography are key considerations, and the county spans a very large area. We’re home to 1,855,800 people, where community identities are often town-based rather than county aligned, and higher areas of deprivation correlate with increased prevalence of violence. This includes four areas in the top 10 most deprived in the country; Swale, Thanet, Folkestone & Hythe and Medway.
We have built strong partnerships and are making good progress leading a multi-agency response across the county, with our co-ordinators recognised as playing an integral role. We deliver a wide range of projects, programmes and interventions that are having impact on the ground, as demonstrated by the findings of the 23/24 Annual Report, which show a reduction in violence across key areas.
However, we know there is more to do, with engaging young people and communities to inform our strategic direction and co-create interventions highlighted as an area of focus. This communication strategy will build on the foundations of communication and engagement work already undertaken and harness its potential as a key lever in supporting us to deliver on our strategic objectives.