
From Europe’s murder crisis to a public-health blueprint for violence
Scotland shifted from Europe’s murder crisis to a public-health approach led by the Scottish Violence Reduction Unit (SVRU). By reframing violence as preventable and rolling out cross‑sector interventions (court‑side outreach, hospital navigators, schools and social services), the strategy dramatically reduced violence: Glasgow homicide fell around 56% and Scotland about 38%, with overall violent crime down roughly a third between 2006–2015, and the model spurring similar violence‑reduction units in England and Wales.










