Violence is one of the leading causes of ill health and premature death globally. Viewed internationally, it is easy to believe Britain is relatively unaffected by violence, yet every year millions of our citizens are victims of violence taking place within homes, schools, institutions and communities (see Table A). From threatening behaviour through to murder, violence has devastating effects on victims, their families and friends, witnesses and entire communities. There are an estimated 2.7 million incidents of violence every year in England and Wales (Upson et al., 2004), the consequences of which can include physical, mental or sexual injury for victims, whilst the wider community suffers through fear of crime, financial burden and overstretched public services. Taking the cost to services, the economy and that to individuals into account, a conservative estimate of annual costs of violent crime in England and Wales is  £21 billion.