Victorian Youth Justice Commissioner, Andrea Davidson, has been appointed to serve as Interim CEO of the state’s new Violence Reduction Unit (VRU).
In a statement, the Government confirmed the Commissioner will recruit a permanent CEO with experience in working with communities to solve complex social problems. She will also set up a community reference group, bringing community organisations and leaders together to guide the Government on the key challenges and opportunities for the VRU.
The VRU has five key principles in its long-term fight to reduce youth crime:
- Taking a preventative and public health approach to address the root causes of violence;
- Coordinating across Government and local services so crime prevention works better, with fewer gaps;
- Using data and intelligence to target its interventions when and where they’re needed most;
- Investing in and delivering the programs that are proven to turn people away from crime;
- Engaging directly with the Victorian public and the communities most affected by violence.
“We have a range of successful community crime prevention programs – what we now need is to develop a Violence Reduction Unit of our own, to ensure that our programs are all coordinated, responsive and community-based,” said Minister for Community Safety, Anthony Carbines.
