Foreword
Serious Violence affects us all, one way or another. It could be as a result of being a victim, knowing a victim of serious violence or being made aware of increased reports of violent incidents through the media.
We know intervening early can support young people and encourage them to make positive choices before they enter the criminal justice system. This strategy and its action plan highlight the importance of early intervention and applying a trauma informed approach to tackle the root causes of serious violence and provide young people with the skills and resilience they need to lead productive lives free from violence.
This strategy sets out how we will work with residents to support the people and places that they care about. It recognises that some of our biggest challenges as a borough - such as the threat from serious violence - are beyond the scope of what the Council can do on its own. These challenges require the pooled knowledge, skills and ideas of local people, voluntary community groups and other public and private sector bodies – all working together for Bexley.
We are committed to doing everything we can to reverse the trend of increasing serious violence and provide the next generation with the safer future they deserve. We can only achieve this by working with local partners in a collaborative way, informed by evidence and lived experience.
The Bexley Community Safety Partnership (BCSP) have been carrying out work related to serious violence over the last few years. We will not be complacent on this issue and are committed to prioritising this area of work to ensure that Bexley continues to be one of London’s safest boroughs.
