£7.7m to tackle anti-social behaviour and neighbourhood crime in Thames Valley area

Plans have been unveiled to spend £7.72million over the next three years to tackle anti-social behaviour and neighbourhood crime in Thames valley area.

The scheme has been proposed by Matthew Barber, Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for Thames Valley, who set out his vision for tackling crime in his Police & Criminal Justice Plan earlier this summer.

Mr Barber highlighted the need to work in partnership with communities, local councils and other agencies on local projects to cut crime, making communities safer and reduce reoffending.

Following his election in May, the PCC pledged to review the support for CSPs. A new funding formula has now been set out which will see a fairer allocation of resources to local councils based on population, crime levels and non-crime factors such as anti-social behaviour.

As part of the review, Mr Barber has also committed to a three-year funding settlement for local councils, allowing them to plan for longer-term projects that will have a greater impact on communities. In the past year, the PCC has supported local initiatives such as:

> Street Associations which invests directly into residents' groups who are trained and supported to spot signs and understand how scams are sold to people. Street Association members are able to support their vulnerable neighbours, helping to prevent burglary, scams and other ways that people are exploited.

> Local anti-social behaviour task forces dealing with cases that do not fall under the remit of a housing authority or a council. They reduce the need for escalation to the police, help to safeguarding vulnerable residents and make use of their strong links with the council to obtain support for more serious cases.

Announcing the plans, Mr Barber said: “The work that my team does in partnership with councils and the police is invaluable. I am delighted to be able to demonstrate a long-term commitment to support local projects that seek to reduce crime and anti-social behaviour through prevention and proactive work within communities.

“This funding is in addition to the work commissioned and carried out directly by my office to support Thames Valley Police and other agencies to tackle crime and make our communities safer.”

The proposals are being presented to the Thames Valley Police & Crime Panel later this month and will provide funding from April 2022 to March 2025. Projects funded through the Community Safety Fund will support the aims of the Police & Criminal Justice Plan published in June this year.