Police and Crime Commissioner Rupert Matthews has looked back on the successes that have marked his first full year since re-election 12 months ago.
The Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland PCC, voted back into post in May 2024 following a strong first term, has kept to his promise of taking proactive, bold action to deliver on his mission to build safe and prosperous communities.
Shortly after returning to office, he drew up a new four-year blueprint for change, pledging to get tough on the problems that matter most to residents and businesses.
The Police and Crime Plan, shaped by the views and feedback of almost 3,000 residents and more than 1,100 key partners and stakeholders, identifies six key priority areas: Violence and Vulnerability, Road Safety, Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG), Neighbourhood Crime, Business Crime and Rural Crime.
By the end of March 2025, the Commissioner had allocated up to £400k to community groups and not for profit organisations who supported his safety priorities, offering grants of up to £10k for projects that tackled the root causes of crime to stop it happening in the first place.
To fulfil his promise to crackdown on Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) and serious violence across the force area, the PCC secured £1.5m from the Government to support the delivery of ‘hotspot’ enforcement patrols with police and partners working side-by-side to proactively solve problems.
To date, more than 14,200 hours of extra patrol time have been clocked up by police and partner agencies since the project first launched. Partnership patrols increased by 25.7% between July and September while 11 problem-solving plans are currently in operation.
The PCC has also worked hard to protect police visibility – a key priority for the public – despite unprecedented financial challenges.
His first budget was designed to protect neighbourhood policing and response teams, and fund vital resources and technology to help the Chief Constable free up police time so officers can work more effectively and efficiently.
In continuing his fight for a fairer share of central funding, the PCC has repeatedly written to the Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, Policing Minister Diana Johnson and Victims Minister Alex Davies-Jones to stress the need for appropriate remuneration to deliver the high-quality services local people expect to build their trust and confidence in policing.
In other progress, the PCC relaunched Victim First – the service he funds to support victims and witnesses of crime and help them recover.
Under a dynamic new format, the service now boasts a new telephone and triage support service, ongoing trauma-trained phone and face-to-face support and specialist help for young people aged under 18 and between 19-24.
In the 12 months following its relaunch, a total of 16,134 referrals were received with 677 referrals from victims aged under 18.
In addition, the Commissioner supported the refurbishment of the Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC) to meet new Forensic Standards Accreditation. The revamp has ensured the victim’s experience is less traumatic while also allowing for extra storage space for evidence.
In fulfilling his pledge to increase support for businesses and retailers against crime, the PCC agreed to fund 110 Body Worn Video (BWV) cameras – worth £52k - to independent retailers who are frequently the target of violence and shoplifting. A further £48k was set aside by the Commissioner to fund joint solutions to business and retail crime.
Commenting on his successes, Mr Matthews said: “Building safe and prosperous communities is going to take time but I am proud of the strong foundations we have laid this year to improve local lives.
“These achievements belong to many organisations and partners, alongside my own team, who are working collaboratively to unravel and solve local problems, to prevent them happening in the first place and to bring about the changes residents and businesses have rightly asked for.
“Through my Safety Fund and the additional, external funding I have secured for our area, we are reducing vulnerability and making it easier for people to get the help they need to stay safe and thrive. This will stop issues from escalating further down the line, leading to crime and greater reliance on our public services.
“Clearly, we could do much, much more with additional funding. The current funding formula puts forces like Leicestershire at a distinct advantage and until we receive an equitable slice of the cake, our ambitions will always have to managed carefully within an increasingly tight budget. This is why I will continue to fight for the people of Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland, pressing the Government for a funding package that is fit for purpose and truly reflective of the demand and risk present within our city and two counties.
“As pleased as I am that we have made a strong start, there is more to do to deliver the magnitude of progress our communities deserve. I have a four-year mandate to bring change, and I am confident many more achievements will follow.”
In his first year of the new term, Mr Matthews undertook 249 community engagements while responding to 11,724 enquiries.
In total, the PCC secured £7.4m in additional funding for 2024-25 from Home Office, Ministry of Justice and Youth Endowment Fund. A further £8.8m has been secured for 2025-26.
Ends
NOTES TO EDITORS:
Other highlights from the PCC’s first year include:
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Successful delivery of Safer Streets 5 projects totaling nearly £800k.
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In Melton Mowbray, this saw the installation of 600 units of CCTV equipment for residents which has already been used as evidence for Closure Orders and 188 free window and door alarms issued.
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12 solar lampposts have been installed at the local skatepark to address ASB in the evenings
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A new WCCTV Help Point System has been funded to help people in distress communicate instantly with the force or local authority CCTV room.
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Three new CCTV cameras and four fly-tipping cameras have been funded to tackle environmental crime.
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In Oadby and Wigston, around 720 homes received a free security makeover in the district to prevent ASB and Neighbourhood Crime.
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10 new re-deployable CCTV cameras were funded to improve CCTV coverage in high-risk crime areas while 1,315 homes received anti-burglary cocooning packs. Two new fixed CCTV columns have also been installed.
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The Commissioner’s Independent Custody Visitor Scheme (ICV) achieved the Platinum Award for quality, making it one of the top six in the country.
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The PCC launched a new Hate Crime Scrutiny Panel to scrutinise the investigation of hate crime incidents across the force area.
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Posted on Thursday 12th June 2025