2021 Decisions

In November 2021, the Violence Reduction Network as part of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Leicestershire announced the VRN Youth Involvement Fund. This was following agreement by the VRN core membership that a forecasted underspend would be used to advance the VRN's work to increase involvement of young people in our understanding of serious violence and in generating responses (decision made at the Violence Reduction Board on 23 September 2021). Authorisation was also secured from the Home Office. The total value of the fund was initially £50,000 but was increased to a maximum of £80,000, again with Home Office authorisation, due to the number of high quality bids and opportunity to increase geographical spread.

The Police and Crime Commissioner for Leicestershire has allocated £30,000 from the Commissioning budget to fund projects/programmes or initiatives within the three current People Zone areas, the purpose of which is to support the achievements and objectives across all the People Zones areas.

This includes investing in building community and providing interventions which will support parents, children and young people to achieve and make positive choices thereby creating a bedrock from which the community safety objectives of the PCC's Police and Crime Plan can be achieved in those specific communities.

The PCC has received and considered an application for projects in the New Parks People Zone area and has agreed to fund.

Courts are experiencing significant backlogs in the aftermath of the pandemic. Delivering effective community resolutions and out of court disposals are key in managing this not just for the Criminal Justice System and Leicestershire Police but for young adults too.

The Engage Project (Engage) was established in 2014 as an arm of the local Integrated Offender Management (IOM) programme. It was and continues to be the only local non-statutory service for 18-24 year olds which is specifically tailored to their distinct needs. The project comprises of a small team of key workers who support and deliver interventions to young adults as part of an out-of-court disposal and/or as they transition from the youth to adult justice system.

Engage is funded by the Police and Crime Commissioner via a contribution to Integrated Offender Management. The delivery partner for Engage are the National Probation Service (NPS), prior to the reunification of Probation Services, the local Community Rehabilitation Company was the provider. NPS have agreed to continue delivery as an interim measure (until March 2022) but the service will need to re-commissioned prior to this point to secure a new provider.

The Violence Reduction Network (VRN) is funded through the Home Office Serious Violence Fund and is one of 18 Home Office funded Violence Reduction Units (VRU). Every year to date, VRUs have not received an indication of the following year's funding until the end of December. The application process usually commences late February with confirmation of success received in April (after the funding year has commenced).

The risk of the Home Office ceasing funding in 2022/23 is assessed as low however there is a risk that the Home Office may reduce its funding or change the requirements of its core grant.

The Police and Crime Commissioner for Leicestershire has allocated £30,000 from the Commissioning budget to fund projects/programmes or initiatives within the three current People Zone areas, the purpose of which is to support the achievements and objectives across all the People Zones areas. This includes investing in building community and providing interventions which will support parents, children and young people to achieve and make positive choices thereby creating a bedrock from which the community safety objectives of the PCC’s Police and Crime Plan can be achieved in those specific communities.

The PCC has received and considered 1 application for a project in the New Parks People Zone area and has agreed to fund said project.

The Forensic Science Regulator is requiring all Sexual Abuse Referral Centres (SARCs) to gain forensic accreditation from the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) by 31st March 2023. This coincides with the end date for the existing SARC contracts (paediatric and adults) serving the Leicestershire population. This creates significant procurement and service delivery risks which can be mitigated by providing an extension to the existing contracts of 2 years. This will allow both the current providers to gain accreditation and also for wider providers to do so within the market creating a healthy provider market from which to commission provision thereafter.

The Police and Crime Commissioner for Leicestershire has allocated £30,000 from the Commissioning budget to fund projects/programmes or initiatives within the three current People Zone areas, the purpose of which is to support the achievements and objectives across all the People Zones areas. This includes investing in building community and providing interventions which will support parents, children and young people to achieve and make positive choices thereby creating a bedrock from which the community safety objectives of the PCC's Police and Crime Plan can be achieved in those specific communities.

The PCC has received and considered 2 applications for projects in the New Parks People Zone area
and has agreed to fund 3 of them.

Following the sale of the former Coalville Police Station in 2018 and our shared occupation of the Coalville Fire Station, the steady increase in staffing numbers has resulted in difficult working conditions in relation to the space available. Accordingly, consideration has been given to the acquisition of additional accommodation in Coalville in order to alleviate this problem.

The Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) has decided to put aside a pot of money from his Commissioning budget to fund a grants programme. This fund is known as The Commissioner's Safety Fund. The purpose of this fund is to support the achievement of the objectives within the Police and Crime Plan.

There will be £400,000 available for the 2022/23 financial year. For 2021/22 the total fund available is £250,000 though some grants have already been issued under the previous scheme therefore the remaining balance will be available from the launch to 31st March 2022. It should be noted the total fund available is an indicative guide and is subject to change.

The Police and Crime Commissioners Prevention Fund has been paused. The Police and Crime Commissioner, Rupert Matthews agreed to consider all outstanding applications prior to this period.

Dear Albert submitted an application during this paused period for activities during National Recovery Month (September). The Police and Crime Commissioner agreed to fund the application based on the fact that delaying a decision to fund (waiting until the new grant process commences) would mean that National Recovery Month would have concluded and the option to fund would have passed. The application was assessed in line with the Prevention Fund Grant criteria and on the 13th September the application was presented to the PCC for final approval. The PCC reviewed the application together with the officer's present and the PCC agreed to fund the application.

The Police and Crime Commissioner for Leicestershire has allocated £32,000 from the Commissioning budget to fund projects/programmes or initiatives within the three current People Zone areas. The purpose of the funding is to support the achievement and objectives of the People Zones areas: Bell Foundry, New Parks, North West Leicestershire. The funding is available for the 2021/2022 financial year.

The Police and Crime Commissioner for Leicestershire has allocated £30,000 from the Commissioning budget to fund projects/programmes or initiatives within the three current People Zone areas. The purpose of the funding is to support the achievement and objectives of the People Zones areas.

The PCC has considered the funding application from Charnwood Borough Council for the Bell Foundry People Zone for three projects and initiatives to support the work of the People Zone.

The Force currently leases a property on Braunstone Lane, Leicester for the sum of £12,000 per annum from the Hinckley & Rugby Building Society. The one year lease expires in November and as the property will continue to be needed, a further one year lease has been provisionally agreed with the Society. The terms are that the rent will remain the same and also include the option to purchase the freehold of the property at figure to be agreed or acquire a longer lease for 10 years.

The PCC considered all outstanding bids received for the PCC’s Prevention Fund before pausing the PCC Prevention fund for the foreseeable future to reconsider/redesign the approach taken.

During Round 36, the PCC considered all received bid applications. All applications were assessed in line with the Prevention Fund Grant criteria and on the 2nd July 2021 the applications were presented to the PCC for final approval. The PCC reviewed these applications together with the officer’s present and the PCC agreed to fund three applications.

The National Probation Service (NPS) together with The Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC) have been working together to take forward a multi–agency and system wide approach to female offending.  As part of this work a multi-agency steering group, chaired by the OPCC (Paul Hindson) and NPS, has been formed which aims to drive a local offer of systemic change for women in the criminal justice system.  Key to the success of this workstream has been the inclusion of the service user and lived experience voice throughout the initial period of implementation. Lived experience was a significant part of the Female Offending Strategy 2018 launch event (which took place on 5th November) and has been identified by those who attended the launch as one of the significant factors in developing and driving this work forward. The Female Offending Strategy 2018 also makes reference to and the importance of lived experience not only within the policy but how it has been used by other lead agencies.

The PCC/Deputy PCC has been working with Leicester City Council (LCC), Leicester City in the Community, the Football Foundation and the Cruyff Foundation to develop Multi Use Game Area (MUGA) courts as set out in the PCC Legacy Programme decision record EXE0005-21 dated the 7th March 2021. That set out £100,000 towards this joint endeavour which will be provided to Leicester City Council as both a contribution to capital costs and to support the provision of led activities at the MUGA courts (this does not include maintenance costs which shall be the responsibility of relevant partners). In addition to the £100,000 set out within that decision record of 7th March the PCC also secured an additional £58,000 from the Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha Foundation’s 2020 Gift of a Wish programme on behalf of the partnership. This decision record shows how this £58,000 will be split between partners for the furtherance of this project.

In his Commissioning Framework for 2017/18, the Police and Crime Commissioner launched his grant programme, named the Police and Crime Commissioner’s (PCC’s) Prevention Fund. This fund has since been extended through the 2018-21 Commissioning Framework, the 2019/20 Commissioning Framework refresh and the 2020-21 Commissioning Framework. The purpose of the Fund is to support the achievement of the objectives within the Police and Crime Plan.

The Prevention Fund is a rolling grants programme throughout the year and bid applications will be considered by the PCC on a monthly basis.

For any funding bids where a second years funding is approved, the second year funding is provided in principle subject to effective delivery and performance in year one.

During Round 35, the PCC considered all received bid applications. All applications were assessed in line with the Prevention Fund Grant criteria and on the 1st April 2021 the applications were presented to the PCC for final approval.  The PCC reviewed these applications together with the officers present and the PCC agreed to fund five applications.

In his Commissioning Framework for 2017/18, the Police and Crime Commissioner launched his grant programme, named the Police and Crime Commissioner’s (PCC’s) Prevention Fund. This fund has since been extended through the 2018-21 Commissioning Framework, the 2019/20 Commissioning Framework refresh and the 2020-21Commissioning Framework. The purpose of the Fund is to support the achievement of the objectives within the Police and Crime Plan.

The Prevention Fund is a rolling grants programme throughout the year and bid applications will be considered by the PCC on a monthly basis.

For any funding bids where a second years funding is approved, the second year funding is provided in principle subject to effective delivery and performance in year one.

During Round 34, the PCC considered ten bid applications. All applications were assessed in line with the Prevention Fund Grant criteria and on the 4th February the applications were presented to the PCC for final approval. The PCC reviewed these applications together with the officers present and the PCC agreed to fund two applications.

Leicestershire Police in conjunction with New Dawn New Day have run a pilot programme over the last 6 months to deliver an out of court disposal to Women domestic abuse perpetrators. The pilot offered an education programme to those women who have been issued a community resolution for domestic abuse. The programme has been delivered by New Dawn New Day at their centre in the City.

The current agreement with the LSCP for their occupation of the former Red Room at Force HQ terminates at the end of April this year. As such, it has been provisionally agreed with the Partnership that they will enter into a new three year agreement from the 1st May 2021 at the same rent of £65,000 per annum.

The Commissioner has developed a Legacy Programme to take forward some of the most important elements of his period in office. The overall theme of the programme is the prevention of harm with a particular emphasis on empowering communities to take responsibility for establishing harm-free environments.  

The Legacy Programme consists of all initiatives that the PCC has developed over his term of office, which continue beyond the end of his term. The items referred to below are those for which a financial commitment of £525,000 in total has been made from the OPCC reserves.

This decision record builds on and updates the information provided in the decision record Substance Misuse Treatment service dated 6th April 2020 and the discussions which took place with the Police and Crime Commissioner on 16th March 2021.

The Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for Leicestershire currently contributes to a pooled fund with Leicester City Council, Leicestershire County Council, and Rutland County Council to fund a domestic and sexual violence and abuse service across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland (LLR). Leicester City Council hold the contract with the provider (United Against Violence and Abuse (UAVA)) which is due to end in April 2022.

The Violence Reduction Network (VRN) has been allocated £52,080 to secure critical frontline services affected by COVID-19. The COVID-19 Winter Prevention Fund is for the period 5 November 2020 to 31 March 2021 to meet the additional costs already incurred and/or likely to be incurred whilst adapting services during the pandemic, and to cope with demand increases resulting from it, during this time period.

The Leicestershire Police Federation currently occupy office accommodation at Hamilton Police Station on the basis of a three year lease from March 2018. This agreement terminates at the end of February and terms have been provisionally agreed for a new lease for a period of one year at the same rent of £8,400 per annum that the Federation is currently paying. There is also a condition allowing them to vacate the property at one month’s notice.