Community crime-fighters triumph in PCC’s flagship funding scheme

Crime prevention champions across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland are celebrating a share of almost £154k to boost their efforts to reduce violence and vulnerability.

Police and Crime Commissioner Rupert Matthews today announced the outcome of his latest Community Action Fund (CAF) round which has seen 18 community organisations, charities and voluntary groups benefitting from grants to power new solutions to recurrent problems.

In a fiercely competitive funding round, the PCC received a total of 77 applications amounting to more than £688k in funding, demonstrating the public appetite for local, effective crime prevention projects.

After careful consideration, the Commissioner approved 18 projects based on their potential for delivering maximum returns to communities, each sharing a slice of £153,871.

Violence and Vulnerability is one of six key priorities in the PCC’s Police and Crime Plan, which has been shaped by the views of thousands of residents and businesses across the force area.

The Commissioner is determined to empower communities to play a pivotal role in his mission to build safer, healthier and more prosperous neighbourhoods, vowing to provide them with the tools needed to identify and deliver localised solutions to help people thrive and stay safe.

Through the latest funding round, the PCC has supported a diverse range of approaches ranging from practical solutions to community education.

These include £9,475.87 for BWB The Collective CIC for its Reclaiming Safety: Safer Bodies/Safer Boundaries project which entails a short preventative programme supporting women in Leicestershire who remain vulnerable after their experiences of abuse, coercive control or intimidation. Participants will take part in weekly personal safety skills sessions and structured confidence-building activities.

In one of several projects to prevent youth violence, the PCC has approved £10k to Everyone’s Invited to deliver student sessions and staff training in schools to increase understanding of gender, consent and healthy relationships, and to equip young people to recognise harmful behaviours and seek support.

Additionally, Atlas Amateur Boxing Club has secured £10k for a 12-month boxing mentorship programme for young people aged eight to 25 in Spinney Hills and neighbouring areas who are at risk of offending or engaging in anti-social behaviour, being excluded from education and/or are vulnerable to exploitation. The programme combines weekly one to one boxing skills training with structured personal development mentoring.

Meanwhile, Measham Parish Council secured £7,320 towards the cost of expanding its CCTV network. The funding will be invested in a high-definition, relocatable camera covering Measham High Street and Peggs Close Car Park, integrating with the council’s existing system at Bosworth Road Recreation Ground.

Another CCTV project securing funding was South Kilworth Parish Council which received £2,500 towards the installation of a modern CCTV system across the South Kilworth recreational area to deter vandalism, improve feelings of safety and protect key public facilities while deterring crime and improving evidence gathering.

Police and Crime Commissioner Rupert Matthews said: “Firstly, I am delighted at the extraordinary level of interest in my Community Action Fund. The calibre of application has been particularly high for this round, and it has been a challenge to narrow our selection to just 18 projects. I would like to thank everyone who has submitted requests.

“I believe strongly in prevention and tackling problems at source. Violence is a symptom of many complex and overlapping issues and the sooner we respond to these vulnerabilities, the earlier we can stop crime escalating or manifesting altogether.

“We are fortunate to have a great deal of experienced problem-solvers in place across the force area who understand their communities and know instinctively what solutions are needed to improve lives. They are held in high esteem by my team, police and safety partners and My Community Action Fund is designed to sustain their work and help them break the cycle of criminality and violence for the benefit of all.

“I have no doubt the projects supported through this fund will transform many lives and have positive wider benefits for all our communities. Building safer and more prosperous communities must be a team effort in which we must all play a positive and dynamic role and together we will make a difference.”

For a full list of beneficiaries to the Commissioner’s Community Action Fund visit: https://bit.ly/CAFRound325-26.

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