Will Linden has worked in the police for the last 19 years in Scotland, and in 2005 he joined the Violence Reduction Unit (VRU), the first public health policing unit in the World. Will was responsible for developing the research capabilities of the unit moving from traditional policing analysis to a more epidemiological/criminological research approach.

Will is responsible for the development of many of the successful approaches and programmes adopted by the VRU, including the development of Homicide/Deaths Database and the gang intervention programme Community Initiative to Reduce Violence, Injury Surveillance, Mentors in Violence Prevention, Employability/Desistance programmes, sobriety monitoring and community navigation/advocacy programmes.

As the Deputy Director of the VRU, Will is currently responsible for the innovation, business and strategic planning of the unit, ensuring that the unit and its outputs remain forward-looking and relevant to the delivery of violence reduction in Scotland and is a Visiting Professor at the University of Strathclyde.