Nomination Success

Pioneering University research into violence, alcohol and late-night safety has been recognised with a nomination for the prestigious Times Higher Education awards. The work of the University's Violence and Society Research Group (VSRG), led by Professor Jonathan Shepherd from the School of Dentistry, has been shortlisted in the 2012 Research Project of the Year category. Research by the VSRG has had a significant impact on late-night injuries and violent behaviour in city centres. A key output of the group's research has been the development of the Cardiff Model for Violence Prevention which uses information gathered in Accident and Emergency departments to both measure violence and drive violence prevention activity. Since the Model was implemented in Cardiff overall A&E violence related attendances have reduced by 30% and hospital admissions and serious violence recorded by the police have fallen by 42% and 32% respectively relative to cities where this model has not been implemented. The model is now a Coalition Government Programme Commitment and, as a result of the Crime and Disorder Act, a core violence prevention strategy across the UK. It has been implemented in more than 100 hospitals across England and Wales.