Anthony Browne, MP for South Cambridgeshire has welcomed the announcement that Cambridgeshire will receive £546,693 in extra funding as part of the Government’s £25 million Safer Streets Fund – delivering on a key Conservative manifesto commitment.
The Safer Streets Fund forms part of the Government’s concerted action to tackle crime and aims to stop offences that blight communities and cause misery to victims from happening in the first place.
The extra funding will be aimed at improving security in areas particularly affected by acquisitive crimes such as burglary, vehicle theft and robbery.
These offences are the crimes that the public are most likely to encounter, and they are estimated to cost society billions of pounds every year.
The new funding will go towards targeted home security improvements for vulnerable residents living in at risk properties in Cambridge. These will be complemented by a programme of community development events to provide residents the opportunity to shape how they would like to see residential burglary prevented in their community.
The Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner worked with partners from across the public and voluntary sector to develop the bid, including Cambridgeshire Constabulary, Local Authorities, Cambridgeshire Research Group, The Bobby Scheme, Cambridge Council for Voluntary Services and Neighbourhood Watch Coordinators.
This additional funding comes alongside the Government’s commitment to recruit 20,000 additional police officers over the next three years, and the £1.1 billion funding boost for the policing system for 2020-21.
Commenting, Anthony Browne MP said:
“This Government was elected on the promise to crack down on crime and make our streets safer, and the £546,693 announced today for Cambridgeshire will help deliver that.
“This new money will help fund proven crime cutting measures and I am confident that this will prevent and reduce crimes such as burglary and robbery in the areas that need it most.
“I want people everywhere to feel secure in their communities and be able to live their lives free from the threat of crime, and this extra funding for Cambridgeshire will help make that possible.”
Home Secretary Priti Patel said:
“I will not stand by while criminals inflict fear and misery on our communities. That is why I set up this fund to ensure we are doing all we can to prevent people falling victim to these crimes.”
Acting Police and Crime Commissioner Ray Bisby said:
“I welcome the announcement that Cambridgeshire is set to receive additional funding from the Home Office to prevent residential burglaries. To ensure that the funding has a long-lasting effect on preventing residential burglary, the money will be used to improve the security of vulnerable people and properties, as well as supporting the community to be more resilient in the long-term.”
“I am grateful for the ongoing support of partners from across the public and voluntary sector in developing this bid and look forward to working together to ensure our community reaps the benefits of this work.”