£1.4 million funding to make Essex Streets Safer
Police Fire and Crime Commissioner for Essex, Roger Hirst, welcomes government’s investment of £1.4 million to make Essex streets safer
As part of round five of the government’s Safer Street’s Fund, the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner for Essex will be able to bid for up to £1.4 million of additional funding to support targeted community projects to tackle neighbourhood crime, such as burglary, robbery, theft and vehicle theft, as well as reducing violence against women and girls.
The extra funding is on top of the £4 million of local funding announced by the PFCC on the 23rd June and brings the total investment to £5.4 million plus match funding contributions from local councils. This focus on creating safer streets is additional to the £1.2 secured for Essex to tackle ASB Hotspots across the county.
Roger Hirst, Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner said “This extra investment will mean we will be able to do even more to keep our communities safe and help people feel safer, especially women and girls. People want to be able to go out and enjoy their lives, free from the fear of crime. Nobody wants to be the victim of crime and we are working hard together across Essex to get crime down, tackle Anti-Social Behaviour, protect the vulnerable and support victims.
“Crime has fallen by 3.8% in the last twelve months and Anti-Social Behaviour has fallen by 29.7%, but we must do more and this extra investment will make a real difference in communities across Essex.”
Successful projects have already been supported in Gray’s Town Centre, Chelmsford Bunny Walks, Colchester Town Centre, Colchester Greensteads, Witham, Ninefields Estate in Epping Forest, Harlow and Clacton. Each project includes a range of activity to improve the physical environment, promote community involvement, and create safer spaces. This includes investment in redesigning walkways, lighting and CCTV as well as strengthening community engagement including engagement with schools, young people and businesses.
The projects are designed to increase feelings of safety and community ownership, increase community cohesion, increase community trust in police and local government. The government funding is part of their Beating Crime Plan and Levelling Up strategy.
