New Knife Bin for Brentwood
Last week, Roger Hirst MBE and Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner for Essex attended the installation of a new replacement knife bin in the Brentwood Borough. Joined by Chief Inspector Terry Fisher, District Commander, West Local Policing Area, Mr Hirst welcomed the installation of the new knife bin at Brentwood police station as part of […]
Essex Youth Voices save the date!
We are pleased to announce the date for Essex Youth Voice Day 2026. This event is a partnership between Essex VVU, Essex Boys and Girls Clubs and Essex Council for Voluntary Youth Services (ECVYS), along with a wide range of youth providers across Essex. This year the event will be held in Chelmsford (location TBC) […]
Positive Futures: Visit to Castle View
Essex VVU supports schools with evidence-based interventions and programmes, which support young people to improve their engagement and attendance at school. We visited Castle View school last week to see one of these programmes, the ‘Positive Futures’ course, being delivered by ATF (Achieve Thrive Flourish) to a new cohort of students. Positive Futures invites at […]
Young people’s voices central to knife crime prevention in Essex
As Knife Crime Awareness Week (18–24 May) begins, Essex Violence and Vulnerability Unit (Essex VVU) is shining a light on the importance of listening to young people and working with them to prevent knife harm. Since its inception in 2019, Essex VVU has brought over £11m into Essex to invest in local delivery. The investments […]
Knife Crime Strategy: Protecting Lives, Building Hope
Last month the Government published its knife crime strategy, Protecting Lives, Building Hope. The strategy sets out Government plans to halve knife crime over the next decade. Essex VVU, as part of the national Violence Reduction Unit programme (led by the Home Office) has shared learning from Essex to inform the strategy. Central to the […]
Young people shape the future of youth safety
Young people across Essex shared their inspiring ideas on how youth provision can better support safety and wellbeing, as part of the 2025–26 Essex VVU Listening Project. Local youth groups which took part in the 2025-26 Essex VVU Listening Project were invited to take part in a ‘Youth Voice Competition’, designing concepts and initiatives that […]