Damilola Taylor was killed in Peckham in November 2000 at the age of 10. He dreamed of being a doctor. One week before he died, Damilola wrote of his hope to save the world. The Hope Collective, formed to support the 20th anniversary legacy campaign for Damilola Taylor, is a powerful partnership of leading cross …
With almost a quarter of Edinburgh families living in poverty, the CEO of the Cyrenians Ewan Aitken reflects in this guest blog on the deep emotional and physical impact he’s seen poverty have throughout his career, and how that feeds his passion for compassionate, supportive work to reduce poverty and its impacts. When I left …
A workshop for young people to share their experience of housing, employment and the environment has been held in Glasgow. The event was the latest in a series of youth-led “Hackathons of Hope” which have taken place across the UK over the past few months. Around 80 young people aged 16 to 24 gathered …
Runners all over the globe still have time to sign up to the virtual Moira’s Run being held this weekend (October 23rd/24th). The pandemic means the annual event, which normally takes part in Glasgow’s Queen’s Park, is being held virtually again this year allowing participants to choose their own 5k route. Last year’s successful event …
The results are in… Over 400 people in Wallacetown have shared their views in a community survey aiming to help shape the future of the area. With a number of key themes identified work is now ongoing to address priorities from drug dealing to dog fouling but also to build on the positives including those …
Scotland must tackle violence in the same way it has taken on Covid-19, a specialist police unit says. The Scottish Violence Reduction Unit is calling for a major public health push across the country to drive down violence in our homes, streets and communities. SVRU director Niven Rennie says, “We’ve seen how effective following the …
SVRU CALL FOR A MAJOR PUBLIC HEALTH PUSH TO REDUCE VIOLENCE IN SCOTLAND Read More »
Heavy Sound work with young people in East Lothian aiming to keep them engaged with education and training. In this article founder Jordan Butler and operations manager Linda Bendle share how they connect with students and help support them to reach their potential. At Heavy Sound we work with young people who are either at …
The 4 Rs of Keeping Vulnerable Young People Engaged in Education Read More »
Could you help make a difference to the lives of New Scots in Glasgow? One Community Scotland are looking for board members to help support them in their work with young people and families across the city. Individuals with experience of finance, fundraising, report writing and mentoring skills are particualrly encouraged to get in touch. …
What was the most significant development in the construction of the Scottish Violence Reduction Unit in 2005? What made the approach we adopted unique? Undoubtedly it was the application of a ‘public health model’, the recognition that the causes of violence are deep rooted and, in order to make a lasting improvement, numerous agencies have …
The people of Wallacetown in Ayr are being asked to help shape the future of the area. Across the region everyone from teachers and fire officers to youth workers and police officers are hitting the streets to gather views from residents and those with connections to the area. The ‘Street Weeks’ sessions will run throughout …
LOCAL PEOPLE ENCOURAGED TO HAVE THEIR SAY ON THE FUTURE OF WALLACETOWN Read More »
Telephone: 01786 896785 Email: violence.reduction@scotland.pnn.police.uk
Niven has more than 30 years of operational policing experience in the United Kingdom. He joined Strathclyde Police in 1985 serving throughout the west of Scotland in a variety of ranks and positions before progressing to the rank of Chief Superintendent. Niven previously held the role of President of the Association of Scottish Police Superintendents where he represented the interests of the operational leaders of policing in Scotland.
On leaving Police Scotland in 2016 Niven took up the position of Chief Executive Officer of South Ayrshire Escape from Homelessness (SeAscape).
Niven was appointed director of the Scottish Violence Reduction Unit in July 2018.
