Police Scotland Violence Portfolio

Police Scotland has a dedicated strategic lead for violence, anti- social behaviour and stop and search. The current lead is ACC Mark Sutherland, Local Policing West. Further assurance is provided through the revised Police Scotland Performance Board and our Performance Framework. The Police Scotland Force and Regional tasking boards provide a suitable tactical response that promotes effective local responses and collaborative working. Appendix 1 details the violence governance structure and connections in Police Scotland.

Policing Together Violence Prevention and Licensing Coordination Unit (VPLCU) provides support and co-ordination across Local Policing and national divisions. The VPLCU works with partners in matters relating to violence prevention collaborating with internal and external national partners to maximise the efficiency and effectiveness of resources to support those affected by violence. VPLCU support local divisions by monitoring emerging trends and areas of risk, and ensuring good practise is shared across the organisation.

The Scottish Violence Reduction Unit (SVRU), funded by Scottish Government and hosted by Police Scotland is aligned to the Scottish Government Violence Prevention Framework, with a focus on addressing the challenges of youth violence, weapons, the impact of social media and repeat victims of violence. SVRU work closely with Police Scotland and organisations across the country to deliver, test, evaluate and scale up what works in primary, secondary and tertiary violence reduction.

Preventing and responding to violence is delivered operationally at the local level, supported by our national Divisions. This is of course a system wide response and requires the support of many local partners and an effective community planning partnership structure.