Around 900 people from across 200 government, youth and community sector organisations joined a series of Town Halls in early 2026 to hear more about how the Violence Reduction Unit (VRU) will work to stop crime before it happens in Victoria.
The VRU has been created to prevent violent crime by focusing on early intervention, data-driven approaches and community engagement, and coordinating crime prevention efforts across government and community.
It represents a proactive shift, grounded in a preventative, public-health approach, informed by proven international VRU models from Glasgow and London, and tailored to the needs of Victorian communities.
The Town Halls provided an important introduction to VRU’s role and key priorities, and supported early relationship building with many of the organisations VRU is or will be collaborating with as it hits the ground running with early initiatives.
"Violence is not caused by one factor, and it certainly can't be solved by one discipline. That’s where the Violence Reduction Unit works to bring together health, police, education, youth justice, community organisations, data analysts, community representatives, and lived experience leadership, not as parallel systems but as a coordinated response.”
VRU CEO Andrea Davidson
Town Hall recording
Hear more from VRU CEO Andrea Davidson about what a public-health approach to violence prevention is, how data and evidence are the cornerstone of VRU’s work and our initial key priorities.
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