Serious Violence Duty
The Serious Violence Duty was introduced by the police, Crime Sentencing and Courts Act 2022. It requires organisations across the public sector to work together to tackle, prevent and reduce incidents of serious violence, and make local communities safer.
These organisations include:
- the council
- the police
- fire and rescue authorities
- justice organisations (youth offending teams and probation services)
- health bodies (Integrated Care Boards)
In Southwark, the borough’s Community Safety Partnership, which includes all these organisations as well as representatives from the community and voluntary sector, is leading on the implementation of the duty.
For the purposes of the duty, serious violence is defined as:
- violence and exploitation affecting young people under the age of 25
- domestic abuse
- sexual violence
The council and its partners are required to produce a strategy (PDF, 1.9mb) setting out how we will work together to tackle serious violence in the borough.
Southwark is continually working to improve its approach to serious violence. The Serious Violence Duty (SVD) allows Southwark to continue its work to further understand our issues and continue to work to reduce violence and vulnerability in our borough.
For any enquiries, email CommunitySafety@southwark.gov.uk.
Page last updated: 08 February 2024
