Safeguarding Vulnerable Children on Public Transport
Launching on Tuesday 1June, Operation Henderson is a partnership campaign to raise awareness of child exploitation at train and bus stations and transport networks in Essex. Under the banner of Operation Henderson, the joint initiative is being run by Essex Safeguarding Children Board, Southend and Thurrock Safeguarding Children Partnerships alongside partners including British Transport Police, […]
Essex young people tell of the dangers of County Lines
The authentic, lived experiences of Essex young people are the narrative for a new hard-hitting short film which wants to educate the public on the dangers of County Lines drug gangs. Filmed on location across greater Essex, the film tells how drug deals are seen on the way home from school and how young […]
Operation Trespass: Ending cuckooing across Essex
Vulnerable people in Essex are being targeted by County Lines drug gangs who take over their homes and use them as bases for drug dealing. The tactic, known as cuckooing, sees the gang manipulate people to gain access to their properties; often specifically targeting those with drug and alcohol addictions, financial problems and learning difficulties. […]
£2 million invested in reducing serious violence in Essex in 2020-2021
Projects across Essex, focused on reducing serious violence, benefited from over £2m of funding last year thanks to the work of the Violence and Vulnerability Partnership. A further £1.1 m of extra funding was also secured from the Home Office to fund additional activity by Essex Police, including targeted stop and search activity. Details of […]
Essex VVU awarded over £1million in the fight against County Lines
The Essex Violence and Vulnerability Unit was this week awarded £1,160,000 from the Home Office to continue its work to tackle County Lines and support young, vulnerable people from criminal exploitation. The funding, which is for 2021/22, is a share of £35.5million which has been awarded to the 18 Violence Reduction Units operating across England […]
Talk to us about your experience of violence in the county
The Violence and Vulnerability Unit has launched two new listening projects following the success of its conversations with young people in 2020. In 2020, youth leaders across Essex, Southend and Thurrock engaged with over 600 young people on the violence and vulnerability themes for 2020. The feedback from young people was exceptional and helped the […]