Criminal funds reinvested into communities to prevent crime

Twelve projects set to benefit the community have received vital funding since April thanks to the re-allocation of criminal funds from Police and Crime Commissioner, Darryl Preston.

Launched in 2025, the Commissioner’s Prevention Fund sees profits recovered from criminal activity rerouted into community projects which help to prevent crimes such as Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) and anti-social behaviour.

Now entering its second year, the Commissioner has been able to allocate more than £40k across the projects in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough including:

• £4,000 to establish two Marine Training Corps at Murrow and Wisbech. The money will fund equipment and pay initial rent costs
• £5,000 to Huntingdonshire District Council to help fund pro-active youth work with Future Scooters at Ramsey skate park
• £2,775 to Fenland District Council for equipment to support and expand the litter picking and clean-up work of ‘Street Pride’ groups across the area and promote this work to youth groups and young people
• £600 to support the delivery of educational workshops linked to the Knife Angel during its visit to Ely in the summer granted to Cambridgeshire County Council
• £265 to the Fenland Community Safety Partnership as a contribution to the cost of redeploying a CCTV mobile device to target and successfully disrupt a specific anti-social behaviour issue in Wisbech
• £2,685 for graffiti removal equipment to support Fenland District Council clean-up work
• £5,000 for Cambridge City Council for targeted outreach work at three schools to engage youngsters who are involved in anti-social behaviour or at risk of exploitation
• £5,000 awarded to Phoenix Youth Provision to provide continued support and engagement to young people over the summer. The project is for youths involved in programmes funded by the serious violence reduction programme
• £1,200 for Fenland District Council for monitoring cameras that can be placed in fly-tipping hot spots across the area
• £5,000 awarded to PEGS (Parental Education Growth Support) for raising awareness of the professional support available for families where there is child to parent abuse
• £5,000 awarded for enhanced work with people in the St Neots area at risk of being involved with ASB. Funding granted to the Youth for Christ organisation
• £3,500 for Cam Skate’s renovations of the Donkey Common skatepark at Parkside.

Darryl said: “Everything we do through this funding is aimed at improving communities and the lives of those who live there.

“By offering small grants, communities can establish much needed facilities and training alongside events which keep our youngsters occupied and away from crime.

“I am pleased to see so many opportunities coming to fruition with the funding we have allocated this year. Many of the schemes encourage engagement and support in often hard-to-reach areas and that can only bring good for our communities.”

Groups wishing to access small grants funding can find more information and an application form on the Commissioner’s website. Bids of up to £5,000 for initiatives which help to prevent crime and anti-social behaviour and increase feelings of public safety will be considered.

Projects should consider the aims of the fund which help to deliver:

• initiatives to prevent crime, Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) or anti-social behaviour
• pro-active work with children and young people who are involved, 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, and
• the empowerment of communities to contribute to preventing crime and anti-social behaviour and increasing the feeling of public safety.