Over £1.67m of funding secured for Safer Streets across the Thames Valley

The Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC) for Thames Valley has secured over £1.67 million for initiatives to tackle violence against women and girls (VAWG) and anti-social behaviour.

Under the latest round of the Safer Streets Fund, the Government made £50 million of funding available to police and local authorities to make streets safer with a focus on tackling violence against women and girls (VAWG), neighbourhood crime and anti-social behaviour. 

The Thames Valley has been successful in all four bids that were submitted to receive a portion of this national funding, with over £1.67 million secured for activity across six local authority areas; Reading, Windsor and Maidenhead, Wokingham, Bracknell Forest, Cherwell and Milton Keynes. 

This funding will be used for a range of interventions to tackle VAWG including: physical improvements to the built environment to provide safer routes; additional investment in Project Vigilant to detect predatory behaviour; establishing safe places within the night-time economy and deliver training for staff; partnership working with higher education to co-produce safety interventions; and the delivery of schools based programmes to educate young people and empower them to identify and reject VAWG behaviours. 

It will also fund activity to tackle anti-social behaviour within communities including: the development of a safe space for victims of anti-social behaviour and crime where they can report issues and access support information; detached youth work; mentoring and diversion for young people; and collaborative work with young people to create safe and inclusive spaces. 

Matthew Barber, Police and Crime Commissioner for Thames Valley, said: “I am really pleased to announce that we have been successful in all four of the bids that were submitted to the latest round of the Government’s Safer Streets Fund. In developing the bids, we worked closely with local authorities and our wider partners in order to understand the current issues within each area and where additional funding could have the greatest impact. 

“Both VAWG and anti-social behaviour can have a significant impact on the extent to which residents feel safe in their communities. Those who live, work, socialise and study in the Thames Valley have a right to feel safe, and this funding therefore provides an opportunity for us to work in partnership to deliver both physical and community-based interventions to support this aim. 

“Many of the initiatives that will be funded will take a preventative approach to crime, which I hope will help to deliver positive, longer-term outcomes and reduce the number of victims of crime within the Thames Valley.” 

The fourth round of funding for Safer Streets was announced today (25/7) and more information can be found on Gov.uk.