Established in December 2025, the Violence Reduction Unit (VRU) is a Victorian Government initiative focused on stopping violence before it starts.
We work proactively with young people, families, schools, community organisations and government agencies to address the underlying causes of violence by intervening early.
The VRU coordinates existing crime prevention programs across Government and works directly with the community and young people to connect them to and find new solutions.
Our model is tailored to Victoria and builds on the strong foundations of the VRUs in Glasgow and London, which are seeing sustained reductions in violent crime over time.
Our approach
Violent crime can cause long-lasting harm to individuals and wider communities, and the best way to prevent this harm is to stop the violence before it happens.
Our role is to intervene early, especially where young people are at risk of being drawn into gangs, violent offending or harmful behaviour.
We do this by:
- taking a preventative and public health approach to address the root causes of violence
- coordinating across Government and local services so crime prevention works better, with fewer gaps
- using data and intelligence to target interventions when and where they’re needed most
- investing in and delivering the programs that are proven to turn people away from crime
- engaging directly with the Victorian public and the communities most affected by violence.
We know that lasting reduction in violent youth crime comes from early intervention – and that intervention works best when young people feel connected, valued and hopeful about their futures.
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