Just Drop It
Bedfordshire’s New Anti-Knife Crime Campaign.
Roseann Taylor has been the inspiration behind the Just Drop It campaign. Her son Azaan was tragically stabbed to death in Luton in 2018. He was just 18 years old.
Roseann now works for us at the Violence and Exploitation Reduction Unit. She doesn’t want any family or young person to suffer like she has. We are sharing AJ’s story so people will Think Twice. Think Life. And Just Drop It.
BEDFORDSHIRE VIOLENCE & EXPLOITATION REDUCTION
Reducing Violence &
Exploitation, Together
Our aim is to identify those at risk of violence and exploitation, so we can prevent harm, empower them to make better choices, amplify the needs of the community and forge a better future for our young people.
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who we are
Bedfordshire Violence and
Exploitation Reduction Unit
We are Bedfordshire’s Violence and Exploitation Reduction Unit (VERU). Established in 2019, through government funding, we are one of 22 specialist units across the UK and the only unit to place an emphasis on the link between violence and exploitation.
A network of different agencies and groups aiming to tackle the root causes of societal issues that affect young people, we work with partners to prevent our young and vulnerable people from being pulled into criminality, violence and exploitation.
Our team is made up of specialist professionals able to provide informed support and advice to help young people and families to better understand the risks and signs of exploitation and criminality, navigate challenging circumstances and make positive contributions to the wider community.
WHAT WE DO
Our aim is to reduce violence across Bedfordshire while tackling the exploitation of young and vulnerable people
Prevent
True to our purpose, reducing violence and exploitation means preventing it – and we believe this possible.
It means intervening at the earliest opportunity to ensure that young and vulnerable people, families and communities do not experience the devastating effects of violent and organised crime.
Whilst many people thankfully survive their experience of violence and/or exploitation, the impact that it has on their physical and mental health and wellbeing can be long lasting and severe.
Through partnership working and the unique offering of our Youth Intervention Specialist (YIS) Team, we offer tailored, proactive and holistic support to young people at risk of being influenced and pulled into criminal gang activity.
Empower
To empower our young people is to provide them with the tools, knowledge and confidence to make sound and positive choices about their own lives.
By sharing lived experiences and removing the lid on the very real consequences of a life of crime, we implore young people to see the truth behind what is often a highly glamorised lifestyle.
As well as focusing on our young people, our aim is to empower our local community to be part of the solution. Through accessible funding for grassroots projects, we work with the community to improve and increase their service offering and reach.
Amplify
Using our position, platform and influence, we seek to amplify to the needs of our community.
From local authorities to governing bodies, we work to bridge the gap between services and those in need of support.
The solution to reducing violence and exploitation can be found in the voices of those it affects the most. Our VERU Youth Voices forum give young people the opportunity to address societal matters and develop a response that benefits not only Bedfordshire but communities across the country.
A&E navigators scheme to launch in Bedfordshire hospitals
Specialist youth workers are to be embedded into hospital A&Es across Bedfordshire to offer support to patients involved in or at risk of violence and exploitation.
Blog
Latest News
Here you’ll find our latest developments, initiatives, and success stories in our bid to tackle violence and exploitation.
Newsletter
VERU in View
VERU in View is our monthly newsletter where we share our latest projects, activities and accomplishments.
