Police Commissioner unveils new funding opportunity to prevent crime

Communities across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough are set to benefit from a new Fund created by Police and Crime Commissioner Darryl Preston using the proceeds of crime.  

The Prevention Fund – Small Grants will enable the Commissioner to reinvest income from the sale of property seized from criminals back into local communities to prevent crimes such as Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) and anti-social behaviour before they happen to make the county a safer place to live, work and visit.  

The Commissioner is inviting Community Safety Partnerships, charities, voluntary and community groups and not-for-profit organisations to bid for a share of the Fund with small grants of up to £5k available for initiatives that support his work to prevent crime and increase feelings of public safety.  

Today’s announcement marks an important milestone in the delivery of the Commissioner’s new Police and Crime Plan (2025-28), fulfilling his pledge to create a new Prevention Fund under his Early Intervention and Prevention priority. 

Financial support for grass roots work has previously been available through the Commissioner’s Safer Communities Fund which was set up to support Community Safety Partnerships in their efforts to deliver proactive and visible solutions to local issues of crime and disorder. The new Prevention Fund will incorporate this funding stream.  

Launching the Fund, Darryl said:  

“I was honoured to host the county’s first VAWG Prevention Event in April and heard first-hand about a multitude of successful initiatives driven by local people.  

“This Fund will provide the financial support needed to progress many of those ideas and wider work to prevent crime and anti-social behaviour.  

“If we can successfully prevent crime from happening, we can protect people from becoming victims and from being traumatised by crime. We also reduce the financial burden on our public services and reduce the fear that can undermine community life.” 

The new Fund has been designed to streamline the process of awarding small grants in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough and will enable:  

• Local initiatives to prevent crime, Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) or anti-social behaviour  

• Pro-active work with children and young people who are, or are at risk of becoming, involved in criminal or anti-social activities   

• Activity within specific community locations which demonstrate visible responses to local crime and disorder issues   

• The empowerment of local communities to contribute to preventing crime and anti-social behaviour and increasing feeling of public safety   

The Police (Property) Act 1897 provides a legal framework for managing and selling property which is recovered by police in connection with crime. Proceeds are retained in the Police Property Act Fund.   

The legislation enables PCCs to redirect these funds for charitable purposes that support safety in their communities.   

Details about the Prevention Fund with guidance can be found on the Commissioner’s website: Prevention Fund - Small Grants