Commissioner launches fund to make communities safer

DARRYL Preston, Police and Crime Commissioner, has launched a new Safer Communities Fund to tackle local issues of crime and disorder. 

Community Safety Partnerships (CSPs) within the county will be able to bid for up to £5K for initiatives which provide a swift response to crimes such as anti-social behaviour, road safety, bike theft and fly tipping.

“People repeatedly raise with me their concerns about so called low-level crime,” Darryl Preston said. “It’s not low-level when it has such a big impact on the lives of so many.

“Everyone has a part to play in tackling and preventing local crime concerns – this is where CSPs come in.

“I have been working to empower our CSPs and the new Safer Communities Fund will provide them with additional tools to tackle the issues that matter most to our communities.”

Examples of such funding could include:

•         Local initiatives to reduce crime and anti-social behaviour;

•         Days of action within specific community locations;

•         Short term additional resources to increase visibility;

•        Tackling fly tipping.

“East Cambridgeshire Community Safety Partnership is delighted to receive details of the new Safer Communities Fund,” Lis Every, East Cambridgeshire CSP, said. 

“This Fund will provide us with the opportunity to develop and extend our initiatives into more parishes. It will also allow us to take on board other lines of work to keep our communities safe.”

There are six CSPs within our county, one for each district. They are made up of representatives from the police, local authorities, fire and rescue services, health and probation services.

CSPs work with a wide range of other services across the public and voluntary sector, as well as community groups, to reduce local issues of crime and disorder.