Violence Reduction Units: Greater London

Home Office written question – answered at on 9 June 2026.

Alert me about debates like this

Photo of Vicky Foxcroft Vicky Foxcroft Labour, Lewisham North

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of providing the London Violence Reduction Unit with a multi-year funding settlement.

Photo of Vicky Foxcroft Vicky Foxcroft Labour, Lewisham North

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has considered providing the London Violence Reduction Unit with a multi-year funding settlement.

Photo of Sarah Jones Sarah Jones The Minister of State, Home Department

Independent evaluation has demonstrated that the Violence Reduction Unit (VRU) programme has successfully reduced serious violence, preventing thousands of young people from being admitted to hospital for violent injuries across 20 police force areas in England and Wales, including London. The report flags statistically significant reductions in assaults by sharp object for under-25s, and assaults by any violence for under-25s and all ages. This equates to around 550 fewer sharp-object hospital admissions and 3,750 admissions for all types of violence among under-25-year-olds or 7,140 fewer admissions across all ages for all types of violence, since funding began in 2019

Recognising this impact, the 2026/27 Police Funding Settlement included an allocation of £66.6m for Serious Violence Reduction Programmes, including £10.5m for London VRU.

Officials are considering funding options for FY 27/28 and 28/29 for Serious Violence Reduction Programmes, including VRUs.

Does this answer the above question?

Yes0 people think so

No0 people think not

Would you like to ask a question like this yourself? Use our Freedom of Information site.

Secretary of State

Secretary of State was originally the title given to the two officials who conducted the Royal Correspondence under Elizabeth I. Now it is the title held by some of the more important Government Ministers, for example the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.