Perspectives on violence conference brings people together to help the fight against violent crime

Almost 300 people came together in the fight against violent crime in Essex.
The Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner for Essex (PFCC) and the Essex Violence & Vulnerability Unit brought together partners to share ideas and best practise on tackling gangs, drugs and county lines in the county.
During the Perspectives on Violence Conference, Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner for Essex, Roger Hirst acknowledged the commitment partners were showing in attending.

Roger Hirst addresses the Conference © Clarissa Debenham Photography. www.clarissadebenhamphotography.co.uk @clarissadebenhamphotography

He said: “It is amazing to see so many of you here.
“We have tackled some big problems together already. Our theme today is the current one we need to get to grips with.
“Your presence here today shows how much you care about it.
Setting the tone for the day, he said: “There’s a huge energy in the room. This is a fantastic opportunity to pick up on good practise and to get ideas; the stuff we are already doing that works.
“If we can use this conference to share that, to bring ourselves together and to re-strengthen our collective purpose to solve this problem, I believe we can make a big difference to the impact of county lines and drug violence over the next few months and into next year.”

Mr Hirst spoke of the setting up of the Violence and Vulnerability Unit and development of the framework and said the county was “cutting edge” in its endeavour.

He said: “That’s Essex for you. We were setting the picture and showing we cared about people who are victims of these crimes. The rest of the country picked up on that.
“The stuff we are doing here is often regarded as cutting edge. There is a lot we are doing really well. We will have some new ideas today on how to do things even better.
“We will make the difference in this county; we will get this crime down and we will protect young people in our county.”