Detective Chief Superintendent Lee Berry took the reins of the West Yorkshire Violence Reduction Partnership (VRP) as its new Director in August 2023.

Using a pioneering public health approach, the VRP brings together organisations across local communities to tackle the underlying causes of serious violent crime.

Lee has over 27 years of policing experience and was most recently a West Yorkshire Police Safeguarding and Crime Portfolio lead at Leeds. Lee has previously been accredited as a Tactical Firearms and Public Order Commander and served as a National Hostage and Crisis Negotiator for over 8 years. 

He has co-ordinated the Force’s response to tackling violence against women and girls and in September 2023, won a regional policing award for his leadership in addressing the issues. In 2024, he also became Head of the ‘Women’s Safety Unit’ launched by the Mayor of West Yorkshire.

He is no stranger to combatting serious violence locally, having also been the joint head of the South Yorkshire Violence Reduction Unit earlier in his career.

Lee holds a Masters degree from the University of Cambridge in Applied Criminology and Police Leadership and is an advocate of evidence based practice and innovation in policing and the public sector.