Several areas of Sussex to benefit from almost £1m of national fund which aims to tackle crime

The £993,456.65 from round five of the Safer Streets Fund is set to be used across Sussex, but will be spread across three projects.

On Wednesday, October 25, the government announced that almost £42 million had been allocated nationwide through the latest round of the fund to tackle neighbourhood crime, violence against women and girls (VAWG) and anti-social behaviour (ASB).

Since the Safer Streets Fund launched in 2020, the government has invested £125 million through the first four rounds along with the Safety of Women at Night Fund.

Round five was launched on July 6 of this year and for the first time a direct funding approach was adopted.

A government spokesperson said: “As a result, every police force area across England and Wales was offered up to £1 million to bid for delivering a range of interventions over the period from 1 October 2023 to 31 March 2025. The intended additional investment through round five brings the total to £167 million to date funding 413 projects across England and Wales.”

All proposals that were submitted were assessed and approved in full by the Home Office.

The spokesperson added: “The funding will go towards measures proven to prevent neighbourhood crime, including the roll out of additional CCTV, street lighting, alleygating and improving the security of properties at risk of neighbourhood crime based on needs assessment for burglary hotspot areas and remote locations.

"The funding will also be used to deliver Neighbourhood Watch schemes, involving community-led initiatives to prevent crime and help ensure suspicious activity is reported.”

Other interventions will be aimed at changing attitudes and behaviours in relation to VAWG through educational activities and behavioural change programmes.

The spokesperson said: “The focus will also be on the night-time economy and working with local businesses to keep women safe and raise awareness of VAWG in local pubs and bars.

“Tackling ASB continues to be a government priority and force areas will also be delivering ASB interventions. Some examples include outreach activities, educational programmes focused on attitudinal and behavioural change and media comms campaigns to encourage the public to report ASB.”