Violent Britain – People, Prevention and Public Health

21 MARCH 2005 -- Supported by the World Health Organization, the Centre for Public Health at Liverpool John Moores University, the Health Protection Agency, Health Development Agency and the Department of Health hosted on 10-11 March 2005 a national conference on preventing violence and launching Violent Britain: People, Prevention and Public Health; a report on the staggering costs and consequences of violence.

The report brings together UK information on youth violence, intimate partner violence, child maltreatment, elder abuse and sexual violence. Key statistics from the report's executive summary include:

• There are 2.7 million incidents of violence every year in England and Wales.
• Assault is the second leading cause of hospital admissions in England for young males aged 15-24;
• Overall costs of intimate partner violence estimated to be £23 billion per year;
• Almost half of 10-14 year olds have suffered bullying at school;
• A quarter of women and 5% of men have experienced some form of sexual assault in their lifetime.

Both the conference and report aim to promote a public health approach to violence by focusing the attention of health, education, judicial and other public sector agencies on violence prevention. To raise awareness about violence and its causes, the conference included presentations on international examples of violence prevention and local examples of violence prevention research, prevention strategies and interventions for victims

Professor Mark Bellis, co-author of the report and Director of the Centre for Public Health, said, “Violence is not just a criminal justice issue. The conference and report are intended to expand understanding of violence across all public services, to help them identify those at risk of violence and to increase their role in its prevention. Individuals are often locked into cycles of violence where young victims become perpetrators of violence later in life. Breaking this cycle requires working with parents, schools and health services to ensure violence and its causes are removed at the earliest possible stages.”

Professor John Ashton, Regional Director of Public Health, continued, “We have become so familiar with heart disease and cancer that we have overlooked the importance of violence and its cost to the National Health Service. Alcohol and violence are frequently linked, and together they are blighting our efforts to regenerate our cities. They cost a fortune and are a major cause of death. Urgent action is needed to address them and we need to tackle the underlying causes such as poverty and unemployment. We also need to address precipitating factors such as the ready availability of knives, guns and alcohol and we need to enlist the support of the public. The experience of many countries, not least South American countries and, to a certain extent, Northern Ireland, is that violence is reduced when the public say that enough is enough". Professor Qutub Syed, Director of the Health Protection Agency North West, said, “Violence is often directed at the most vulnerable members of society, including women, young children and older people who are often not in a position to defend themselves. There is an onus on all of us as good neighbours and professionals to make a stand against violence and do all we can to prevent it. The conference will highlight the destructive and costly influence of violence in society, enable us to learn about the experiences of other countries and hopefully to recommend solutions to what has become a pernicious problem.”

Dominic Harrison, Associate Director for the Health Development Agency, explained, “This is the first conference of its kind in the UK and it could not be more timely. Deaths, injury, decreased community cohesion and well-being are all outcomes of an increasing tide of violence affecting us all. The causes and manifestations of this growing social epidemic are multiple, and prevention will require a detailed evidence-based understanding of what can be done. With speakers from across the world, this conference will review what is known of the causes and what might work to address them."

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