WHAT IS

THE CARDIFF MODEL?

WHAT IS THE CARDIFF VIOLENCE

PREVENTION MODEL? 

More than half of violent crime in the United States is 

not reported to law enforcement, according to the U.S. 

Department of Justice. That means cities and communities 

lack a complete understanding of where violence occurs, 

which limits the ability to develop successful solutions.

The Cardiff Violence Prevention Model provides a way for 

communities to gain a clearer picture about where violence 

is occurring by combining and mapping both hospital and 

police data on violence. But more than just an approach to 

map and understand violence, the Cardiff Model provides a 

straightforward framework for hospitals, law enforcement 

agencies, public health agencies, community groups, and 

others interested in violence prevention to work together and 

develop collaborative violence prevention strategies.

1
TOOLKIT: WHAT IS THE CARDIFF MODEL? 2

HOW DOES IT WORK?

The Cardiff Model is a multi-agency approach to violence prevention that relies on the strategic 

use of information from health and law enforcement organizations to improve policing and 

community violence prevention programs.1 The basis of the model is information sharing. In 

healthcare settings, violence-related injury data including location, time, date, and mechanism 

of injury are collected. These data are combined with information from law enforcement to help 

communities map where violence frequently occurs. No other personal information (i.e., name, 

date of birth, social security number) is collected, shared, or used. The community violence maps 

can be used to identify the specific locations where violence occurs in public spaces such as 

bars, street corners, or subway stations. 

The Cardiff Model relies on sustained partnerships between healthcare, law enforcement, public 

health agencies, other government agencies, and community organizations. The partnership uses 

local data to create effective injury and violence prevention policy, educate community leaders 

about the need for changes in the places people work and live, and encourage business owners 

and residents to prevent violence by using evidence-based solutions.

HOW WAS THIS MODEL DEVELOPED?

The Cardiff Model was created by Dr. Jonathan Shepherd, a surgeon and 

professor at Cardiff University in Wales, United Kingdom. Dr. Shepherd 

frequently treated people who were injured through violence in his 

hospital’s emergency department. Through his research he discovered that 

only a fraction of these injuries treated in emergency departments were 

reported to law enforcement.2 

In 1996, Dr. Shepherd gathered healthcare providers, law enforcement 

leadership, and other community stakeholders to discuss the concept of 

data sharing and the development of violence prevention interventions. 

By 1998, the Cardiff Model became the primary approach for violence 

prevention across the United Kingdom. The model has helped to facilitate 

solutions to violence such as changes in the environment of violent places 

(increased street lighting and the creation of more pedestrian-friendly 

streets), policy change (switch from glass to plastic barware in taverns), 

and promotion of stronger community partnerships (increased programs 

partnering with clergy to assist violence prevention).
TOOLKIT: WHAT IS THE CARDIFF MODEL? 3

WHAT IS THE EVIDENCE THAT THE 

CARDIFF MODEL IS EFFECTIVE FOR 

VIOLENCE PREVENTION?

Since its development in 1996, the Cardiff 

Model has shown that sharing anonymous 

data describing the location of violence, 

weapon use, assailants, and time of 

violence can allow local police to improve 

their strategies to prevent street violence.3

CDC collaborated with Dr. Shepherd to 

conduct a multi-year evaluation that 

compared violence outcomes in Cardiff, 

Wales to the experience in 14 similar cities. 

The results indicated a 32% reduction in 

police-recorded injuries (comparable to 

aggravated assaults in the U.S.) and a 42% 

reduction in hospital admissions for

violence-related injuries. The model saved 

over $19 in criminal justice costs and nearly 

$15 in health system costs for every $1 spent.4

32 REDUCTION IN POLICE- % RECORDED INJURIES

42 REDUCTION IN HOSPITAL 

% ADMISSIONS FOR VIOLENCERELATED INJURIES

1. Shepherd (2001). Annals of Emergency Medicine, 38(4), 430-437. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1067/mem.2001.114317

2. Shepherd (2000). BMJ, 321(7275): 1481-1482. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.321.7275

3. Florence et al. (2011). British Medical Journal, 342, d3313. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.d3313

4. Florence et al. (2014). Injury Prevention, 20(2), 108-114. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/injuryprev-2012-040622

LEARN MORE about the Cardiff Model and how to start using it in your community’s violence

prevention efforts at www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/fundedprograms/cardiffmodel

This material was developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The pilot 

of the Cardiff Violence Prevention Model was a collaboration between the CDC, DeKalb County 

Police Department, Grady Health System, the University of Pennsylvania, and the CDC Foundation. 

Support for this pilot was provided by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.