The Commissioner’s Community Safety Fund will support five targeted initiatives developed by the Staffordshire Moorlands Community Safety Partnership in response to community concerns and intelligence from partners.
The projects include:
- A women’s safety event in Leek, bringing together support organisations to provide practical advice, safety demonstrations, self-defence tips, wellbeing support and information on reporting concerns.
- White Ribbon engagement workshops to help frontline staff and partner organisations tackle harmful behaviours, promote respectful relationships and encourage positive male role models. Free domestic abuse awareness training will also be available through New Era.
- Detached youth work sessions in Werrington, providing direct engagement with young people in community settings to help reduce anti-social behaviour and connect young people with support services.
- A fraud awareness project, helping residents recognise scams and improve fraud awareness. The project will include 30 face-to-face “Spot the Signs” sessions through community venues.
- New signage in evidenced hotspot areas with safety messages around key issues including wildfires, off-road bikes, speeding, drink and drug driving, and county lines activity.
Each of the Community Safety Partnerships (CSPs) in Staffordshire have received £10,000 from the Commissioner to address community safety-related concerns, reduce crime and ASB and enhance public confidence.
Councillor Bill Cawley, Cabinet member for Communities at Staffordshire Moorlands District Council, said: “We welcome this funding from the Commissioner which will help us to tackle a range of issues affecting our communities in the Moorlands. These projects have been selected based on feedback and evidence so we know that they are the issues our communities want us to focus on.
“We’re targeting resources to address major community concerns around anti-social behaviour in certain locations to improve the situation for residents. We welcome other initiatives, such as promoting the safety for women and girls and awareness raising to the increasing threat of fraud awareness. Such actions will benefit everyone in the Moorlands. “
CSPs are formed of partners including Police, Fire & Rescue, local authorities, health partners and the probation service. They have a statutory duty to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour in their communities.
Staffordshire Police, Fire & Rescue and Crime Commissioner Ben Adams said: “From supporting women and girls to feel safer, to helping prevent anti-social behaviour, fraud and other community safety concerns, this funding will deliver practical initiatives that make a real difference.
“Investing in prevention and early intervention is key to building safer and stronger communities. I am pleased to support these projects and look forward to seeing the positive impact they have across Staffordshire Moorlands.”
Staffordshire Moorlands CSP can also bid into an additional pot of £100,000 provided by the Commissioner on behalf of individual projects and initiatives in their area.
Alongside funding allocated to CSPs, the Commissioner’s Community Safety Fund also includes:
- £10,000 awarded to each of the 10 Local Policing Teams in Staffordshire to address priorities set by the Government’s Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee.
- £180,000 contribution towards the Staffordshire Space Programme which funds activities for children over the summer holidays.
- £200 towards the cost of Independent Chairs for ASB Case Reviews on request.
- A statutorily required annual Strategic Assessment, supporting a comprehensive understanding of crime and community safety in the local area.
To read more about the Commissioner’s Community Safety fund, visit: Local Community Safety Fund