Bath and North East Somerset Council has secured a share of £5.08m awarded to the five Violence Reduction Units (VRUs) across Avon and Somerset over the next three years for violence reduction initiatives.

B&NES has been awarded £178k for the first year, subject to a successful bid to the Home Office via the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC), with amounts for future years to be agreed.

The funding has been allocated to the Avon and Somerset Violence Reduction Team within the OPCC, which devolves funding to the five local authorities delivering violence reduction initiatives across the area.

Grant funding was also made available for community projects that are working towards preventing children from becoming involved in violence. Eleven projects were successful in securing the funding last year.

Councillor Dine Romero, cabinet member for Children and Young People, Communities and Culture, said: “Addressing violent crime means intervening with specialist help at the right moment in a child or young person’s life, diverting them away from a future of violence and trauma. It’s welcome news that funding has been secured over the next three years to reduce the risk of becoming involved in violent crime that many children in B&NES face.”

https://bcssp.bathnes. gov.uk/vru-projects-and- interventions