People, Partnerships and Prevention Conference: May 2022

Last week the VVU attended the People, Partnerships and Prevention Conference hosted by the PFCC for Essex, Roger Hirst. The conference gave delegates the chance to hear about how partners across Essex are united in their work to help communities stay safe, prevent crime and protect the vulnerable.

We listened to Professor Jonathan Shepherd explain how by using data from A&E Departments, crime prevention partnerships can make greater strides in tackling knife crime. They do this by mapping incident hotspots with their own crime data to target resources and safeguard those who need protecting. Work which we are building on here in Essex, in collaboration with acute hospitals, the ambulance service, police and the Essex Centre for Data Analytics.

We heard from Gavin McKenna, founder of “Reach Every Generation” on how his upbringing has inspired and motivated his work to ensure every child is given the opportunity to thrive and understand what healthy, normal relationships look like.

The Young Essex Assembly gave an excellent presentation on the voices of young people and their experiences of misogyny and sexual violence.

The final speaker of the day was Ryan Hart who shared his own personal story of domestic abuse and coercive control. A story so deeply moving that the room was in silence as he told of his father’s controlling behaviour and the impact on his family, and the murder of his mother and sister.

The conference showcased the innovative and successful work that is happening across the county to prevent violent crime, abuse and exploitation. Demonstrating how much can be achieved when partners share the same goal and want to work together to achieve positive change for our residents and communities