The South Yorkshire Violence Reduction Unit (VRU) and Dr Alan Billings, Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) have held a Violence Against Women and Girls Knowledge Sharing Event.

The Event, held virtually, brought together organisations from across South Yorkshire to discuss the work taking place to tackle Violence Against Women and Girls in the county.

The Event began with short introductory messages from the PCC and Graham Jones, Head of the VRU. This was followed by a presentation from Natalie Shaw, South Yorkshire Police’s lead for tackling Violence Against Women and Girls, who spoke about the work the force is doing to address this issue, both internally and externally.

Eight organisations were then allocated a 15 minute slot to present on the work they are doing, including a Q&A. This gave attendees the opportunity to find out more about the different initiatives which are taking place.

Among the organisations presenting were In2Change, a group working to steer young people away from criminality; Sheffield Women’s Aid; and Remedi, who run the CEASE programme to help young people to recognise abusive behaviour, supporting the development of healthy relationships.

The event will be used to develop greater co-ordination between different groups and programmes, to work towards a more joined-up approach to tackling Violence Against Women and Girls.

Graham Jones, Head of the South Yorkshire Violence Reduction Unit said: “The Knowledge Sharing Event was a fantastic opportunity to bring groups together to widen our understanding of the initiatives happening across the county, and to build relationships between different organisations.

“This will help us to develop a more co-ordinated approach to tackling Violence Against Women and Girls in South Yorkshire.”

Dr Alan Billings, South Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner said: “As Police and Crime Commissioner, I want South Yorkshire to be a place where women and girls both feel safe, and are safe. To achieve that, it is essential that we address Violence Against Women and Girls.

“To deliver real, lasting change on this issue, it is important that everyone pulls in the same direction, from statutory support services to South Yorkshire Police to the VRU and the voluntary and community sector.

“I’m pleased that I was able to host this Knowledge Sharing Event alongside the VRU.

“This allowed us to bring together different groups, to learn more about the work taking place in South Yorkshire, where there are gaps or challenges in provision, and how we can work more closely together to tackle Violence Against Women and Girls.”