PCC John Campion has secured £1m of funding that will go towards tackling violence, including against women and girls within West Mercia.
As part of the Government’s Safer Streets Fund (SSF), the Commissioner endorsed bids from West Mercia Police and local partners that will support local projects aimed at increasing the safety of public spaces.
The two previous rounds of the SSF are already having positive impacts elsewhere in West Mercia where the funding has gone, with increased street lighting, installation of CCTV and gates around alleyways. This third round will have a focus on violence against women and girls, with education, lighting, landscaping and parks featuring within the proposed interventions.
PCC John Campion said: “As Commissioner I am committed to seeing that our communities are safe and feel safe where they live. There is too much violence in our society, so having funding that will specifically tackle this issue is a huge step in the right direction. It will support the wider societal work that needs to be done – particularly around by-stander intervention education.
“I am grateful to the Government for backing communities of West Mercia by addressing the issue of violence. I thank partners that have supported the bids and I look forward to working with them to make our public spaces safer.”
Chief Constable Pippa Mills said: “We’re absolutely committed to tackling violence against women and girls and know that we must do everything possible to understand women’s fears and concerns.
“The Safer Streets funding will mean we can continue to do this and continue to make strides in ensuring we can, through positive action and making our public spaces safer, show that women and girls can put their trust in us.”
