Head, Hand and Heart. Tackling Knives and Violence. Public Health and whole system transformation.

Scotland has had a long history with violence from the razor gangs in the 30’s to a prevalence of knife related violence and a high murder rate. Despite high detection rates, stop search and novel enforcement it had continued unabated. Using evidence, intelligence, academic research and a focus on innovation, the violence reduction unit was set up in 2003 with a long-term focus on prevention violence and utilizing a public health approach. Karyn talked about failures and successes in equal measure and the importance of capitalizing on the zeitgeist and that on the 2nd September 2024 Scotland had no under 18’s in the prison system.

Policing has often been advanced as the main element of tackling knife crime and serious violence in public spaces, but just as often with limited attention to the evidence of how the police can be most effective in this role as well as working within a whole system approach. Peter Neyroud focused on what the best current evidence suggests the police should do and how they should accomplish it.

Karyn McCluskey is the co-founder of the first violence reduction unit, she is Chief Executive of Community Justice Scotland which focuses on prevention.

Dr Peter Neyroud is an Associate Professor in Evidence-based policing and the former Chief Constable of Thames Valley and CEO of the National Policing Improvement Agency.