As part of the Government’s ambition to drive up community activism and build safer neighbourhoods, organisations from the voluntary sector across England and Wales are now invited by central Government to apply for a share of two all-new crime fighting funds.
The first set of funding for 2011-2012 is open to applications from today: a GB pound 4 million ‘Choices Fund’ to support the development of innovative local solutions aimed at reducing substance misuse and offending by young people.
The second – in the shape of a GB pound 5 million ‘Community Action Against Crime: Innovation Fund’ – is designed to encourage new and creative ways of working within communities to tackle crime. This will be open shortly.
A further GB pound 5 million is set aside for 2012-2013.
Crime prevention minister Baroness Angela Browning said: “We know people are concerned about the crime and anti-social behaviour that blights many of our towns and cities. That is why we want to empower more communities to work together to tackle issues that matter to them locally.”
The Baroness continued: “The voluntary sector plays a vital role in delivering this ambition, and this new funding will help us to drive up action, encourage more creative solutions and build safer neighbourhoods for everyone.”
According to Baroness Browning, the Government is going to play its part by making the police more accountable to the public they serve, and by ensuring that local policing priorities are focused on what local people want, not on what central Government thinks they want.
“We have also introduced the first-ever nationwide street level crime maps which, along with regular beat meetings, mean the public can hold their local force to account not just every four years but every day.”
Deadline for applications for the ‘Choices Fund’ is 18 August 2011.
Full details of the application process for the ‘Community Action Against Crime: Innovation Fund’ (2011-2012) will shortly be made available on the Home Office website.
Police forces are rising to cost-cutting challenge
Meantime, crime and security minister James Brokenshire has commented on a report which looks at how police forces are preparing to make financial savings in line with the Government’s planned spending cuts in the public sector.
The report by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) finds that police authorities and forces have made a good start in developing plans for the next four years.
“Every force should be driving through efficiencies, rooting out wasteful spending and cutting crime,” said Brokenshire. “The effectiveness of a police force depends not on its total numbers, but on how well it uses its resources.”
The minister said there is evidence to suggest that the police service is succeeding in ‘reducing costs while protecting frontline services,’ pointing to HMIC predictions that by March 2012 the proportion of police working in frontline roles will be higher than in March last year.
Brokenshire added that central Government is helping to reduce bureaucratic burdens on forces.
“We are playing our part by getting rid of needless bureaucracy, cutting out wasted time and money in IT and making sure police forces make the most of their vast purchasing power by buying together,” he said. “Changes such as streamlining the crime recording processes and returning charging discretion to officers could save well over 2.5 million hours of police time each year.”.
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