£1M cash injection for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight to keep streets safe

The Police and Crime Commissioner, Donna Jones, has secured £1M of Home Office funding to further deliver on cutting crime and building safer communities.

The successful bid is from the fifth round of the government’s Safer Streets Fund with Portsmouth, the Isle of Wight, Gosport, Havant, Fareham, Eastleigh, Southampton, Winchester, the New Forest, Test Valley, Basingstoke and Deane, Rushmoor and Hart all benefiting.

The funding is aimed at tackling neighbourhood crime, violence against women and girls (VAWG) and anti-social behaviour (ASB) across England and Wales and includes the following successful projects for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight:

Project one: Portsmouth, Fareham, Gosport, Havant, Isle of Wight and Eastleigh

• A Mentors in Violence Prevention support hub for 12 schools in Portsmouth, the Isle of Wight, Havant and Gosport
• A VAWG information hub to support night-time economy workers in Portsmouth, the Isle of Wight, Havant, Gosport, Fareham and Eastleigh
• Increased CCTV and lighting in Sandown to combat ASB
• Outreach work to protect women in the sex industry via the With You project in Isle of Wight, Gosport and Fareham
• Youth Outreach project to engage with 50 young people involved in ASB in Portsmouth, Gosport, Havant, Fareham, Isle of Wight and Eastleigh
• Enhanced surveillance and visibility through increased CCTV and pavement art in key locations in Portsmouth and Fareham

Project two: Southampton City, Winchester City, New Forest, Test Valley Council Areas

• The installation of seven CCTV cameras in rural locations in the New Forest to boost feelings of safety and assist police investigations
• Two extra CCTV cameras to be installed on Portswood High Street to combat ASB, theft, street robbery and VAWG offences
• Two more CCTV cameras to be installed on Shirley Road to combat ASB, theft, street robbery and VAWG offences
• The installation of seven cameras to cover the whole of the car park at Crossfield Hall in Romsey to improve feelings of safety and reduce crime
• 3000 DNA property marking kits for 3000 households across the project area to tackle burglary
• Funding for male coordinators to work with schools in the New Forest and Test Valley to tackle peer on peer sexual abuse and exploitation, and a VAWG coordinator to work across four Community Safety Partnerships to ensure projects are successful

Project 3: Basingstoke and Deane, Rushmoor and Hart

• Mentors in Violence Prevention training courses across nine schools in the project areas
• Community in Motion training courses to support NTE workers in 30 We Stand Together venues to reduce VAWG
• A youth outreach project to engage with 60 young people involved in ASB in Hart and Rushmoor
• Designing out crime initiatives in key areas of Basingstoke with street art and environmental enhancements to increase feelings of safety
• Designing out crime initiatives in key areas of Rushmoor with lighting, CCTV and environmental enhancements to increase feelings of safety

The Safer Streets Fund was launched in 2020, with the government investing £120M through four rounds of funding, and a further £5M through the Safety of Women at Night Fund. The £42M fifth round, announced in July, means £167M to date has now been invested on 413 projects across England and Wales.

PCC Donna Jones said: “This is fantastic news for our communities. It means we can do so much more to tackle neighbourhood crime, reduce the harm caused by violence against women and tackle anti-social behaviour head on.

“I know how distressing these crimes can be and the misery they cause communities. Everyone in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight must feel safe on the streets. This funding means I can do even more to protect the public and make neighbourhoods safer.

“Working with the police and partners, we are building more resilient neighbourhoods and making it harder and harder for criminals to act.”

Councillor Matt Renyard, Cabinet Member for Safer City, said: “I’m pleased to hear the announcement of our successful bid. Southampton has worked with many partners in the city over the last few years to improve public safety and develop educational work to prevent Violence against Women and Girls.

“Extra CCTV in two of our district centres, linked to our CityWatch control room 24/7, will help improve safety further. We will work with police and other partners to help residents stop being victims of residential burglary in our City.

“We also look forward to working with our colleagues in the New Forest, Winchester and Test Valley to share our VAWG schools work that Yellow Door have developed and delivered in some many of our schools.”

Cllr Ian Holder, Cabinet Member for Safety in the Community at Portsmouth City Council, said: “We are committed to working with partners to keep people safe in our city, so this extra investment to combat crime and anti-social behaviour and protect women and girls is extremely welcome.”

Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for Communities and Partnerships Cllr John McKay said: “Creating neighbourhoods where residents feel safe and want to live is a key priority for the council.

“This additional investment will support work with partners to create a safer community for all, with improvements planned in areas highlighted by our communities.”