Welsh violence tackling scheme rolled out in United States

A pioneering Welsh scheme will be used to help unearth trouble "hotspots" and cut violent crime in the United States.

The Cardiff Model for Violence Prevention anonymously gathers details at A&Es about incidents, revealing problem areas unknown to police.

The US Department of Justice said more than half of violence is unreported which has made prevention difficult.

But now the Cardiff model is set to be rolled out by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCP).

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The CDCP, which works to protect US residents from health, safety and security threats, has produced a website and toolkit to help agencies implement the model across the country.

Prof Jonathan Shepherd devised the model and said it had reached a "major milestone" after securing the endorsement in the US.

What is the Cardiff Model for Violence Prevention?

• Developed in Cardiff, and launched in 1997 to fill gaps in police knowledge by anonymously gathering information at hospitals from victims of violence

• Information is collected at A&Es about where people were injured, which street, school, park, or licensed premises, types of weapons used and the time and date

• Information is shared with police and local authorities but not a patient's information

• A violence prevention board brings police, health, local authorities and the voluntary sector together to devise an action plan to tackle issues

• The model is used in UK cities including Glasgow and London, and around the world as far away as Sydney, Australia

"For communities across the United States faced with the human tragedies and heavy costs of violence, this tried and tested approach holds great promise," said Prof Shepherd, from Cardiff University's Crime and Security Research Institute.

"Implementation is certain to generate further lessons on how the model should be used, and will help jurisdictions elsewhere to benefit."

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The CDCP adopted the model after comparing violence outcomes in Cardiff to 14 similar cities.

The results showed a 32% cut in police-recorded injuries (comparable to aggravated assaults in the US) and a 42% reduction in hospital admissions for violence-related injuries.