This Government was elected on the promise to crack down on crime and make our streets safer, which also played a key role in my local manifesto for Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner. I am therefore delighted by the announcement that the Metropolitan Police, covering both Hillingdon and Harrow, will receive £301,162 in extra funding as part of the Government’s £25 million Safer Streets Fund.
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 crimes such as burglary, vehicle theft and robbery. I know that Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner has sadly seen spikes of these type of crime in the past. I am hopeful that this funding will prevent and reduce people falling victim to crimes, such as burglary and robbery, in the areas that need it most.
As these offences are the crimes that the public are most likely to encounter, they are estimated to cost society billions of pounds every year.
The £301,162 of new funding will go towards measures proven to cut crime. These include simple changes to the design of streets such as locked gates around alleyways, increased street-lighting and the installation of CCTV.
The funding will also be used to train community wardens, deliver local crime prevention advice to residents and create Neighbourhood Watch schemes for areas that don’t already have one. I am proud that the constituency has established OWL networks thanks to many dedicated volunteers and is an invaluable asset to our local community.
Police and Crime Commissioners were invited to bid for a share of the £25 million Safer Streets Fund in January, with each project eligible for a grant of up to £550,000.
Bids were evaluated against a set criteria and bidders were asked to outline a plan to reduce crime within a local crime hotspot, demonstrating value for money, evidence of community engagement and long-term sustainability.
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.
I want residents to feel secure in our local community and be able to live their lives free from the threat of crime, and this extra funding for the Metropolitan Police will help make that possible.
Gov.uk press release on Safer Streets Funding: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/safer-streets-fund-to-tackle-burglary-and-theft