Gosport MP, Caroline Dinenage, has welcomed the announcement that Hampshire Constabulary will receive £549,991 in extra funding as part of the Government’s £25 million Safer Streets Fund – delivering on a key Conservative manifesto commitment.
The Safer Streets Fund forms part of the Government’s concerted action to tackle crime, and aims to stop offences that blight communities and cause misery to victims from happening in the first place.
Caroline has spoken regularly with local police forces in recent months, as well as with some constituents who have contacted her about crime in the local area. The extra funding will be aimed at improving security in areas particularly affected by acquisitive crimes such as burglary, vehicle theft and robbery.
These offences are the crimes that the public are most likely to encounter, and they are estimated to cost society billions of pounds every year.
The £549,991 of new funding will go towards measures proven to cut crime. These include simple changes to the design of streets such as locked gates around alleyways, increased street-lighting and the installation of CCTV.
The funding will also be used to train community wardens, deliver local crime prevention advice to residents and establish Neighbourhood Watch schemes.
Police and Crime Commissioners were invited to bid for a share of the £25 million Safer Streets Fund in January, with each project eligible for a grant of up to £550,000.
Bids were evaluated against a set criteria and bidders were asked to outline a plan to reduce crime within a local crime hotspot, demonstrating value for money, evidence of community engagement and long-term sustainability.
This additional funding comes alongside the Government’s commitment to recruit 20,000 additional police officers over the next three years, and the £1.1 billion funding boost for the policing system for 2020-21.
Commenting, Caroline said:
“This Government was elected on the promise to crack down on crime and make our streets safer, and the £549,991 announced today for Hampshire Constabulary will help deliver that. I know from speaking to both local police forces and some of my constituents that this announcement will be very welcome.
“I want people everywhere to feel secure in their communities and be able to live their lives free from the threat of crime, and this extra funding for our area will help make that possible.”
Home Secretary Priti Patel said:
“I will not stand by while criminals inflict fear and misery on our communities.
“That is why I set up this fund to ensure we are doing all we can to prevent people falling victim to these crimes.”