Members of the SVRU have met with His Majesty The King during an event at Dumfries House in Ayrshire to discuss the importance of opportunities for young people.

Representatives from various organisations and charities talked about their work in Ayrshire and Glasgow as well as across Scotland and the rest of the UK during the meeting.

Jimmy Paul, head of the SVRU, spoke about the history of the public health approach in Scotland which aims to identify, understand and address the underlying causes of violence.

He said: “Scotland is a leader in public health policing but we know violence prevention is long-term issue that requires a collective and collaborative effort across society.

“The goal of violence prevention is to address and decrease the underlying risk factors while identifying protective factors such as creating safe spaces and opportunities for young people..

“The voices we need to hear from here today are the voices of the young people representing the organisations they work for or volunteer at. They can tell us about what interventions are taking place that can really make a difference.

“These discussions hearing from those working at the heart of Scotland’s communities are essential in gaining an understanding of the issues and hearing about work that is having an impact on people’s lives.”

Also present were representatives of the The King’s Foundation and The King’s Trust.

The event follows a similar discussion in July when His Majesty joined a King’s Trust hosted discussion on youth opportunity, attended by the Prime Minister and actor Idris Elba.

The Dumfries House estate in Ayrshire, Scotland, is the headquarters of The King’s Foundation charity.