Violence and aggression never present themselves in a vacuum, yet this is typically the way policymakers approach the subject, its prevention and its management. Although guidelines exist in different sectors, too often little or no consideration is given to many of the wider issues in play, particularly the use of restraint when it becomes necessary. Despite the long-standing call for a common set of guidelines, we are only now looking at the introduction of the Restraint Reduction Network training standards, and it seems that anything approaching a set of common guidelines that all settings can embrace is a long way off. The aim of any good guidance seeking to influence practices in the prevention and management of violence and aggression should be to minimise the need for any restrictive intervention but where necessary to apply techniques as safely as possible within the relevant legislative framework. Certain staff in healthcare settings need to receive training to increase the organisation’s capacity and capability to deal with potentially violent situations without recourse to external agencies, such as police, who operate to a different set of standards to those within healthcare settings and who use techniques that healthcare staff would not wish to see used in their settings.