Durham PCC awarded over £670,000 to make streets safer

Durham Police and Crime Commissioner’s Office have been awarded £670,864 from the Home Office to tackle neighbourhood crime and make streets safer.

Two bids were submitted to the Home Office’s £18.3 million Safer Streets Fund, which provides money to evidence-based initiatives across the country that aim to reduce burglaries and other acquisitive crimes.

Both bids were successful, with other Police and Crime Commissioners and local authorities having been awarded a share of the fund to make streets safer through projects to crack down on neighbourhood crimes like burglary, vehicle theft and robbery.

The money, from the Government’s Safer Streets Fund, will go towards measures proven to cut crime, including installation of new CCTV and Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras, securing empty properties and providing window locks, door locks, interior and exterior lighting to occupied properties.

The third round of the Safer Streets Fund opened yesterday,providing another opportunity for the Office to bid from a fund of £25 million for the year 2021/22.

The next round of funding will go beyond environmental measures like improved street lighting and encourage police to secure innovative bids for plans primarily focused on helping make women and girls feel safer on the streets, as well as projects which could include an emphasis on changing attitudes and behaviours in local communities.

Last year the Safer Streets Fund allowed homes across Darlington and Horden to receive free home security measures including window locks, double door locks, plug in timers and dusk to dawn security lights.

Joy Allen, Durham Police and Crime Commissioner said: “It is great news we are going to be able to offer even more households across County Durham and Darlington further security measures to prevent crime and make homes safer.

“I am delighted we will be able to expand the scheme after having secured two successful bids so we can engage with more local communities providing crime prevention advice with our local partners. The fund will help secure more properties to prevent burglaries, making the communities of County Durham and Darlington safer, stronger and more resilient to crime.

“The next round of funding is essential as we need a focus on helping make women and girls feel safer on the streets and look at changing behaviours and attitudes in local communities through partner projects.”

Chief Constable Jo Farrell said: “It is fantastic that we have been successful in securing more funding to make the communities in which we live safer and improve the quality of life of those that live there.

“The Safer Streets Fund provides us with an opportunity to take an innovative and systematic approach to tackling crime in our neighbourhoods.

“It is important to try and prevent crime from happening in the first place and this funding gives us that opportunity.”

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