£250k is to be invested in tackling anti-social behaviour (ASB) and violence against women and girls (VAWG) in parts of Stoke-on-Trent as part of the latest round of the Government’s Safer Streets Fund, following a successful bid by the Staffordshire Commissioner’s Office (SCO).
Round four of the Safer Streets Fund saw £750,000 allocated to areas in Staffordshire, including Etruria and Hanley, Blurton & Longton West, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Burton and Stafford.
This funding is in addition to over £2 million already secured by the SCO through Safer Streets in rounds one, two and three.
The latest Safer Streets initiative forms part of Staffordshire’s preventative approach to reducing ASB and violence more broadly. In Etruria and Hanley and Blurton & Longton West, the funding will be used to provide a range of partnership interventions including:
- Additional CCTV and alley gating
- Environmental measures such as community clean-ups and removing graffiti in public spaces
- Diversionary activities for young people at risk of/involved in ASB and VAWG
- Additional personnel in night-time economies and vulnerable locations, increasing the number of trained, capable individuals able to support and signpost those vulnerable to safe places and support
- Community awareness campaigns to address ASB, supported by a community engagement project to empower communities to identify local concerns, design and oversee projects to resolve them, with the aid of a small grant
Due to the nature of the interventions and the partnership approach being taken, this work is also expected to have a wider impact on serious violence, robbery, theft, online abuse, gang initiations and other forms of violence.
Staffordshire Commissioner for Police, Fire & Rescue and Crime, Ben Adams said:
“Protecting people from harm is an absolute priority in my Police & Crime Plan, and this funding is a welcome boost to the significant work already underway to reduce the threat of violence against women and girls, and tackle anti-social behaviour that damages our communities.
“By taking a coordinated partnership approach, combining practical measures like CCTV and improved lighting with awareness campaigns and education programmes to change people’s behaviours, we aim to not only make our communities safer, but also ensure that they feel safer too.”
Leader of Stoke-on-Trent City Council, Abi Brown said:
“This latest funding announcement is more good news as we continue to deliver on work to strengthen community safety, support residents and tackle issues that communities are concerned about. Previous rounds of the initiative have supported residents across a wide geographic area of the city and I’m delighted that we can now go on to invest in a range of further measures that will support even more strong and resilient communities in Stoke-on-Trent.”
The Safer Streets round four funding is just one element of the SCO’s and partners’ commitment to tackling violence against women and girls across Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent, which includes:
- Securing funding from the Government’s Safety of Women at Night funding, to provide initiatives focused on preventing VAWG in public places at night, including in the night-time economy, in venues and on public transport
- Launching a partnership Violence Reduction Alliance to deliver the local Violence Strategy
- Holding a dedicated Violence Reduction conference
- Establishing a Violence Against Women and Girls Commission, to deliver related actions
Find out more about the latest round of the Government’s Safer Streets Fund at Safer Streets Fund continues to make streets safer – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
