UK Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has praised Durham research aimed at addressing serious violence, during a visit to the University.
During her visit to Durham, the Labour Party’s home affairs spokeswoman met our Vice-Chancellor, Professor Karen O’Brien, and Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Equality, Diversity and Inclusion) Shaid Mahmood, and also researchers from the Centre for Research into Violence and Abuse (CRiVA).
Ms Cooper also attended a meeting of the North East Knife Crime Taskforce, an open forum organised by The Northern Echo newspaper to enable organisations involved to share information, expertise and resources with the common purpose of stopping young people from using knifes as weapons.
The Taskforce brings together politicians from different parties, police, police and crime commissioners, charities, councils and other organisations.
Yvette Cooper’s reflections
Speaking afterwards, Ms Cooper said: “It was really great to meet people at Durham University today and hear the work that they are doing on tackling serious violence.
“(Labour Party leader) Keir Starmer has set a mission for the next Labour government to halve serious violence over the next ten years but that has to be based on the best available evidence and analysis and research.
“It was really important at the Taskforce meeting to hear from families who have been bereaved and experienced the terribly devastating effects of knife crime as well as talking to different agencies who need to work together to tackle knife crime.”
What is CRiVA?
Ms Cooper held a policy discussion with researchers from CRiVA, which is dedicated to improving knowledge about interpersonal violence and abuse, and professional and societal responses to it.
She held a roundtable policy discussion with Professor Nicole Westmarland, the CRiVA Director; Dr Hannah Bows, Deputy Director; Professor Catherine Donovan; Professor Geetanjali Gangoli; Professor Simon Hackett; Professor Clare McGlynn; and Dr Jenny Lloyd.
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