Historic Initiatives In 2008 the SVRU set up the Community Initiative to Reduce Violence (CIRV) in a bid to end violence between established street gangs once and for all. The initiative was heavily modelled on the successful Boston Ceasefire Project (
Operation Ceasefire) and Cincinnati Initiative to Reduce Violence. The CIRV has three basic components (enforcement; services and programmes; the moral voice of the community) and is a partnership between
Police Scotland,
Social services in Scotland,
Education Scotland and other entities. Police operational activity, diversion projects, and help with
careers, education, and
anger management are all used in an attempt to end gang violence. Within three years of its introduction, more than 400 young men had joined the initiative. Due to the correlation between alcohol misuse and violence in Scotland, in 2012 the SVRU piloted the use of SCRAMx transdermal alcohol monitors ("sobriety bracelets") which allow the blood alcohol concentration of the wearer to be monitored remotely so allowing compliance with sobriety to be monitored. In an interview with the
Guardian newspaper Niven Rennie (Director of the SVRU since 2019) defended the use of
stop and search, saying it was a key element of the unit's early work ("you can't have enforcement without search").
Current Initiatives The Navigator programme works out of hospital emergency departments with the aim of stopping the "revolving door of violent injury" seen in Scottish hospitals and easing the pressure of violence on the NHS.
Medics Against Violence The unit collaborates closely with the
Medics Against Violence charity, which sees NHS staff and healthcare students educate secondary pupils on the risks and consequences of engaging in violence. In addition, MAVS provides training to dentists to intervene in
domestic violence while the patient is in the dentist's chair. ==Leadership==