Hackney needs a full-time Violence Reduction Unit (VRU) of its own to tackle the root causes of violence on our streets, in our homes and in our community.

The VRU system brings the Council, schools, parents, health and social workers and the police together to identify the underlying problems that lead to violence in the community. It's based on the idea that prevention is better than cure - and it works.

Using this joined-up, public health approach, a Violence Reduction Unit set up in Glasgow drastically reduced murder rates and knife crime in the city and has since been rolled out across Scotland.

You can read more about our plans for a Hackney Violence Reduction Unit here

It's not inevitable. Our streets and estates do not have to be violent. We can choose a better way.