Express & Star

West Midlands crime hotspots to get £1.9m funding to tackle issues

A crime-fighting fund of £1.9m has been given out across the region.

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Police and local authorities in the West Midlands region have today been awarded a total of £1,974,787 to support key projects in hotspots affected by neighbourhood crimes like burglary, vehicle theft and robbery.

It includes £863,185 for West Mercia Police, £247,602 for Wolverhampton Council, £432,000 for Staffordshire OPFCC and £432,00 for Birmingham Council.

Forty areas across England and Wales have been awarded a total of £18.3m. The money, from the Government’s Safer Streets Fund, will go towards measures proven to cut crime, including simple changes to the design of streets such as locked gates around alleyways, increased street-lighting and the installation of CCTV.

The third round of the Safer Streets Fund also opens today, providing another opportunity to bid from a fund of £25m for the year 2021/22.

The next round of funding will encourage police and local authorities 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.

Home Secretary Priti Patel said of today’s funding announcement: “I will not stand by while criminals inflict fear and misery on our communities, which is why I launched the Safer Streets Fund to improve security in areas blighted by crimes like burglary, robbery and theft.”