The Violence Reduction Unit… is not a law-and-order program: it views violence as a public health issue, which therefore requires a public health response.
The model has its origins in the work of Karyn McCluskey, a former police officer and nurse who established the first VRU in Scotland in 2003 – a time when Glasgow was known as the murder capital of the world. More than 20 years on – 14 with McCluskey helming the VRU – and the turnaround is stark: homicides, attempted murders and serious assaults plummeted and stayed low, and in 2024 the country removed its last youth from prison.