Community groups across Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent have been applying for money from the Police and Crime Commissioner’s Proceeds of Crime Fund (formerly Local Policing Fund).
The fund is a new initiative by PCC Matthew Ellis to support local projects in conjunction with local policing teams and local authorities. It is made up of assets and money seized from criminals in Staffordshire under the Proceeds of Crime Act.
Applications for the £250,000 fund have been received from 129 groups or organisations, 59 of which have been successful in securing full or part of the money they need to fund their project.
The bids have to demonstrate a clear connection with reducing crime and fit into one of the Commissioner’s four priority areas: intervening early, putting victims first, preventing offender and re-offending, and improving public confidence.
Police and Crime Commissioner Matthew Ellis said: “I am delighted with the response to asking communities for ideas to make places safer and reduce crime. Shifting more money to local areas is what I said we’d do and it’s what we’ve done.
“The vast majority of ideas showed very clearly how they might counter wrong doing and make places safer. Even taking out those that didn’t, we were still slightly over subscribed; despite the fact the level of funding has increased. But there was also a significant number where the connection between reducing crime and what was being proposed was not as clear.
“I would love to be able to fund everything but it’s just not practical. We’re going further than ever before to provide funding for people and I would hope that the majority of people will celebrate that. This is just the start of making more money available for local areas.”
A full list of projects that will receive funding (subject to vetting) is at
