Violence Research: National Violence Surveillance Network
The National Violence Surveillance Network has over 100 (types 1, 2 and 4) Emergency Departments in England and Wales providing data on violence-related attendances on an annual basis. Data are retrieved by attendance date, age group and gender, and used for the study of rates and trends in violence.
Official police violence statistics and violence surveys have traditionally been the only national sources of information about violent crime in England and Wales.
Several single-centre studies based in local Emergency Departments (EDs) have demonstrated the potential for measuring violence using ED data. From the public health perspective, this is an essential step in refining an NHS-based national data source to identify local and national trends in community violence.
The project started in 2002 and is ongoing. It is an annual exercise with a report published every April. The National Violence Surveillance Network achieved a significant milestone in 2025 by being certified as compliant with the UK Statistics Authority Code of Practice for Statistics. This recognition underscores the network's commitment to producing accurate, transparent, and high-quality data on violence trends across England and Wales.
The aims of this project are to:
- study trends in community violence in England and Wales from an injury perspective
- complement two other national violence sources:
- Crime Survey of England and Wales
- Police Records
The National Violence Surveillance Network achieved a significant milestone in 2025 by being certified as compliant with the UK Statistics Authority Code of Practice for Statistics. This recognition underscores the network's commitment to producing accurate, transparent, and high-quality data on violence trends across England and Wales.
Read the latest reports
Violence in England and Wales in 2023
National Violence Surveillance Network report into Violence in England and Wales in 2023.
If this document cannot be read by your assistive software, you can request an accessible version by emailing web@cardiff.ac.uk. Please include the assistive tools you use and the format you require.
Violence in England and Wales in 2022
National Violence Surveillance Network report into Violence in England and Wales in 2022.
If this document cannot be read by your assistive software, you can request an accessible version by emailing web@cardiff.ac.uk. Please include the assistive tools you use and the format you require.
Violence in England and Wales in 2021
Report by National Violence Surveillance Network into Violence in England and Wales in 2021.
If this document cannot be read by your assistive software, you can request an accessible version by emailing web@cardiff.ac.uk. Please include the assistive tools you use and the format you require.
National Violence Surveillance Network Report 2020
Annual report on serious violence in England and Wales includes data from the National Violence Surveillance Network (NVSN), led by Cardiff University
If this document cannot be read by your assistive software, you can request an accessible version by emailing web@cardiff.ac.uk. Please include the assistive tools you use and the format you require.
National Violence Surveillance Network Report 2019
Annual report on serious violence in England and Wales includes data from the National Violence Surveillance Network (NVSN), led by Cardiff University
If this document cannot be read by your assistive software, you can request an accessible version by emailing web@cardiff.ac.uk. Please include the assistive tools you use and the format you require.
National Violence Surveillance Network Report 2018
Annual report on serious violence in England and Wales includes data from the National Violence Surveillance Network (NVSN), led by Cardiff University
If this document cannot be read by your assistive software, you can request an accessible version by emailing web@cardiff.ac.uk. Please include the assistive tools you use and the format you require.
National Violence Surveillance Network Report 2017
National Violence Surveillance Network Report 2017
If this document cannot be read by your assistive software, you can request an accessible version by emailing web@cardiff.ac.uk. Please include the assistive tools you use and the format you require.
Investigators
Principal investigator
Professor Vaseekaran Sivarajasingam
Clinical Director, University Dental Hospital, Cardiff and Vale University Health Board. Director, National Violence Surveillance Network, Violence Research Group. Chair, All-Wales Oral Surgery Strategic Advisory Forum.
- sivarajasingam@cardiff.ac.uk
- +44 (0)29 2074 2441
Co-Investigators
Professor Simon C Moore
Professor of Public Health Research
Co-Director of the Security, Crime and Intelligence Innovation Institute
Director of Violence Research Group
Research team
The research team consists of:
- Professor Jonathan Shepherd
- Dr Nicholas Page
We are looking for people with certain skills and experience to help with this and other projects.