Lincolnshire awarded extra £245k funding to make streets safer

The grant, awarded to Lincolnshire PCC today, is part of a £2.4m pot to tackle neighbourhood crime across the East Midlands.

A further £25 million will go towards projects in England and Wales with a primary focus on improving safety for women and girls

The money, from the Government’s Safer Streets Fund, will go towards measures proven to cut crime, including simple changes to the design of streets such as locked gates around alleyways, increased street-lighting and the installation of CCTV.  

The third round of the Safer Streets Fund also opens today, providing another opportunity to bid from a fund of £25 million for the year 2021/22.  

This next round of funding will go beyond essential environmental measures like improved street lighting and encourage police and local authorities to secure innovative bids for plans primarily focused on helping make women and girls feel safer on the streets, as well as projects which could include an emphasis on changing attitudes and behaviours in local communities.  

Home Secretary Priti Patel said: “I will not stand by while criminals inflict fear and misery on our communities, which is why I launched the Safer Streets Fund to improve security in areas blighted by crimes like burglary, robbery and theft.   

“But it’s more than just environmental change – we need to prevent people from committing these offences in the first place as we build back safer.  

“That is why the next round will rightly look at behaviour change, with a primary focus on women and girls who are disproportionately affected by crimes like harassment in public places.”

Minister for Safeguarding Victoria Atkins, MP for Louth and Horncastle, said: “No one should feel afraid while walking the streets, yet for so many people, particularly women and girls, a background hum of feeling uncomfortable or even unsafe in public spaces has become an all too common occurrence. 

“We want this fund to help the police and local councils ensure that our streets are safe for everyone.”