Violence Reduction Information Network for the East Midlands

EMPAC is pleased to report on a Violence Reduction Information Network (VRIN) being developed in the region, hosted at the University of Leicester. 

Following on from the announcement of a successful bid to the ESRC IAA Strategic fund last year, the University of Leicester is making good progress in setting up the VRIN, a collaboration between academics from the university and practitioners from the five EMPAC East Midlands forces.

A scoping meeting was held in 2019 and the first meeting of the steering group is being planned at the university for April 2020. Representatives from the EMPAC region are being invited along with academics from various departments to a workshop session which will determine the activities of the group over its first year.

A researcher (Keith Floyd) has been appointed to support the project leads Associate Professor Matt Hopkins and Dr. Claire Davis as they work with practitioners to form an evidence base around what works in violence reduction in the East Midlands.

The aims of VRIN are to:

1. Develop a network for knowledge exchange
2. Disseminate good practice in order to influence policy and practice. This will be facilitated through a VRIN webpage
3. Become a repository of good practice in violence reduction accessible to practitioners
4. Map current interventions used nationally and internationally to reduce weapons related violence and to ascertain ‘what works’
5. Map data sources and assess the feasibility of building composite datasets regionally using data from a range of agencies
6. Design and conduct future research that meets the needs of practitioners and is easily transferable into practice, making a positive impact
7. Ensure the sustainability of the partnership beyond the initial funding period
8. Provide opportunities for post graduate researchers in violence reduction
9. Evaluate interventions
10. Organise a project conference at the end of year one

Since January 2020, the VRIN team have also been working with Leicestershire and Rutland Violence Reduction network, assisting in developing a framework for the evaluation of their interventions.  There are also developing a review of ‘what works’ in relation to a number interventions that will be made on the VRIN webpages -you can get an update on VRIN activities here:- https://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/cgi-bin/wa-jisc.exe?A2=VRIN;7d57d366.2104p.

If you would like any more information please contact:

Matt Hopkins:  mh330@le.ac.uk (project lead)

Claire Davis:  Claire.davis@le.ac.uk (project deputy)

Keith Floyd: kf154@le.ac.uk (research assistant)