Serious Violence Duty
The Serious Violence Duty was introduced in January 2023, under the Police, Crime and Sentencing and Courts Act 2022. The Duty places a legal requirement on a range of 'specified authorities' to collaborate to prevent and reduce serious violence in the area. The aim of the Duty is to encourage organisations to share information, data and intelligence, and work in partnership rather than in isolation.
The 'specified authorities' are:
- Police
- Probation
- Youth Justice
- Fire and Rescue
- Integrated Care Boards; and
- District and County Councils.
Serious violence is not defined for the purposes of the Duty, but instead states that authorities should work together to identify the types of violence taking place within the area. For the pan-Lancashire area, the following crimes have been identified:
- Homicide
- Knife Crime
- Gun Crime
- Assault resulting in injury
- Rape
- Robbery
- Aggravated burglary
- Domestic Abuse and Violence
- Child Exploitation (sexual and criminal)
Read more about the Serious Violence Duty in this 7 Minute Briefing.
The Serious Violence Duty in Blackpool is part of a broader initiative to prevent and reduce serious violence through a multi-agency approach. In response to the Duty, Blackpool's BSafe Community Safety Partnership has developed a Serious Violence Action Plan which will drive the direction of the Duty locally to achieve the vision that everyone living or working in Blackpool to feel and be safe from violence and violent crime. A Violent Crime Task and Finish Group has been established under the governance of BSafe to drive forward the delivery of the action plan under four priority areas:
- Prevention of serious violence
- Enforcement
- Cultural transformation and workforce development
- Evidence: data and evaluation