Police and Crime Commissioner Income
Ministry of Justice Victims’ Services Grant
Following an amendment to section 56 of the Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act 2004 and the Anti-Social Behaviour Crime and Policing Act 2014 PCC’s now have responsibility to commission victim services.
Home Office Grant
PCCs also receive a single pot of funding from the Home Office for policing and community safety. A PCC will use this as funding towards the delivery of the police service and the remaining will be allocated to commissioning, grants and his office.
Council Tax
The PCC raises funds from Council Tax levied on the residents of West Mercia and sets a precept. These funds are used to support the delivery of the police service, the PCC, his office, commissioned services and grants.
PCC’s funding streams for commissioning and grants
Victim Services
All PCC’s receives an annual grant from the Ministry of Justice for supporting victims. West Mercia’s PCC provides a ‘top up’ to this from their own budget to enhance and extend provision.
The Commissioner’s Grant Scheme (CGS)
A ring fenced fund, to deliver the outcomes of the Safer West Mercia Plan. This is utilised for larger grants and commissioned contracts and it is usually awarded West Mercia wide.
Community Safety Partnership (CSP) Grant
Funding for local initiatives to meet the priorities of the CSP & the Safer West Mercia Plan
Commissioner’s Community Fund (CCF)
Small localised projects, meeting the objectives of the West Mercia Plan whilst adding value to communities. Initial decision making for this fund is the responsibility of local policing area commanders.
NB: a branch of this fund is for localised road safety initiatives.
The Commissioner’s Grant Scheme (CGS)
This budget focuses on projects committed to delivering outcomes in the Safer West Mercia Plan.
Victims
All PCCs receive an annual grant from the Ministry of Justice to commission free practical and emotional support helping victims cope and recover, whether they have reported it to the police or not. The PCC provides a ‘top up’ to this funding stream from his own budget, ensuring specialist providers are accessible to victims of domestic abuse, sexual violence and child sexual exploitation.
Victims – Generic
£820,515 – Victim’s Advice Line
For the provision of the Victim Advice Line (VAL), a team of expert and fully trained Victim Care Coordinators helping victims of crime to cope and recover, regardless of whether they have reported to Police or not. The victim may then be referred onto other specialist services, dependent on the level of support they need. This type of model is being seen as best practice and a flagship across the country in delivering support to victims.
£481,474 – Victim Support
Helping victims of crime in West Mercia to cope and recover and delivering a restorative justice (RJ) service by bringing those that have been harmed by crime, and those responsible for the harm, into communication, enabling everyone affected by a particular incident to play a part in repairing harm and finding a positive way forward. The funding includes provision for 1 x 0.8 FTE Modern Slavery and Human trafficking worker, who will specialise in MSHT referrals, working with victims to identify and manage their support needs, and support with information, guidance and advice on the National Referral Mechanism.
Sexual violence
£1,530,959 – WMRSASC
This grant maintains the current key frontline Independent Sexual Violence Advisor (ISVA), Male ISVA, Family ISVA and Children & Young Peoples (CHISVA) service provision within WMRSASC and to support continued delivery of the SELFIE training and awareness raising programme. This funding includes £100,000 to provide immediate crisis support to reduce and reopen the counselling waiting list which was closed in June 2021.
£222,609 – AXIS
To fund 15 additional ISVA roles.
Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE)
£305,000 – WMRSASC
For CSE specialist support – the Branch and Purple Leaf Projects provide education, intervention and support to children and young people (CYP) who are at risk of or have been a victim of CSE in Worcestershire, Shropshire, and Herefordshire.
£155,161 – NHS England SARS
To the Regional CYP Sexual Assault & Referral Service (SARS) which is a region-wide service providing expert care for children and young people who have disclosed sexual assault, or who may have been subject to sexual abuse. Clients are seen by an experienced paediatrician with specialist training in forensic examination and are supported by a crisis worker.
Domestic Abuse £1,081,259 – West Mercia Women’s Aid (WMWA)IDVA Contract
For the Independent Domestic Violence Advisor (IDVA) Service: IDVAs represent an accredited and co-ordinated response to standardise and support the delivery of advocacy services for victims of domestic violence. Serving as a victim’s primary point of contact, IDVAS normally work with their clients from the point of crisis to assess the level of risk, discuss the range of suitable options and develop safety plans. IDVAs usually work with cases deemed to be at high risk of harm or homicide.
£41,200 – WMWA – CYP For the Children and Young people’s Project (CYP):
This grant pays for a Children and Young People’s service to engage with those between the ages of 5-13 who are identified as at risk of suffering significant negative outcomes as a result of domestic abuse within their family/home environment. Age-appropriate activities promote knowledge and understanding of domestic abuse and its impact on children and young people, and help them to understand how to avoid or conclude unhealthy relationships themselves. The Project Worker will also visit schools, raising awareness of domestic abuse with both staff and pupils.
£579,384 for Drive Herefordshire and Worcestershire
DRIVE is a RESPECT accredited high-risk perpetrator programme run in both Herefordshire and Worcestershire by Cranstoun which aims to reduce the number of child and adult victims of Domestic Abuse. It is a whole system approach, which uses an intensive individual case management intervention alongside a multi-agency response. Drive challenges and supports perpetrators to change their behaviour and works with partner agencies (like the police and social services) to disrupt abuse. This funding is made up of contributions from the PCC and other partner agencies.
£33,250 – VAL
To the Victim Advice Line (VAL) for the Domestic Abuse proactive intervention project, to enhance the existing VAL provision and increase the opportunities to proactively reach out to DA victims and survivors who have not been referred for support and provide them with a point of contact through their cope and recovery and criminal justice journeys.
£63,740 for two DA Support Officers
To provide support to the Domestic Abuse Perpetrator Panel in Worcestershire and Herefordshire as part of the Drive project.
Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence
£677,613 (Additional MOJ Funding)
The OPCC was awarded £677,613 per annum over the next 3 years (£2,032,838 in total) from the MoJ to support victims of domestic abuse and sexual violence. The funding was apportioned as follows:
- Victims Advice Line £12,500
- Axis £223,054
- Connexus £30,448
- Worcester Community Trust £43,772
- WMRSASC £293,327
- WMWA £74,484
Road Safety
£73,518 – RoadPeace
For Supporting people affected by serious road traffic collisions in West Mercia by delivering A new and innovative support and information service for victims of serious injury collisions.
Hate Crime
£56,000
To provide funding for a 12-month project which will deliver an engagement and awareness programme to increase public awareness of and confidence in reporting hate-related crimes and incidents. This will be achieved by targeting organisations that are closely related to those at higher risk of vulnerability or are community based to broaden our reach to those who might otherwise feel apprehension in reporting.
Early Intervention and Prevention
Child Criminal Exploitation
£601,979 – Climb
CLIMB (The West Mercia Diversionary Network) will be delivered by the Children’s Society. This contract will support children and young people (C&YP) who are at risk of criminal exploitation. The focus is particularly on early intervention and prevention and seeks to engage a particular cohort, particularly those who are missing education (permanent or temporary exclusion), or not currently engaged in any training or work. Additionally, it will engage those C&YP who are reported missing, have an arrest (or intelligence) surrounding possession of Class A Controlled Drugs or knives/ weapons. As well as a ‘Trusted Adult’ approach, CLIMB will seek to divert those C&YP into positive activities e.g. Sports/ Art/ Drama etc. thus surrounding the service users with positive peers and role models.
£82,021 – Exploitation and Vulnerability Trainers
To coordinate and deliver a prevention package around Child Exploitation (CE) to professionals and community groups delivering services to children.
Domestic Abuse
£591,384 – DA Perpetrator Fund
The Men and Masculinities programme is delivered by Cranstoun for perpetrators (low to medium risk) of domestic abuse and covers Worcestershire and Herefordshire to work with 125 perpetrators for 12-month period Apr 22-March 23. The programme is delivered in partnership with West Mercia Women’s Aid who deliver the victim support provision that supports linked / ex-partner(s) to those men accessing the service. The total cost of the programme is £190,672. (This is made up of contributions from the PCC and partner agencies.)
The Richmond Fellowship deliver My Time in Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin which is also a Domestic Abuse Perpetrator Programme for those assessed as low-medium risk. The programme also works with perpetrators from under represented and racialized communities – which includes, LGBTQ+ communities, BAME communities, and female perpetrators of abuse). The total cost of the programme in Telford is £148,960 and £251,752.03 in Shropshire. (This is made up of contributions from the PCC and partner agencies.)
Acquisitive Crime
£176,574 – We Don’t Buy Crime Upper Tier Local Authority
Councillors have access to financial support for reducing acquisitive crime. The PCC is offering a 25% contribution to the We Don’t Buy Crime (WDBC) scheme increasing the reach across West Mercia. WDBC towns and villages are provided with signage where 70% of residential properties have marked their possessions with Smartwater (a water-based solution with a unique forensic code that shows up under UV light). WDBC signs are installed through the village/town warning potential offenders to prevent burglary.
Rural and Business Crime
£186,474 – Rural and Business Officers
Whilst crime can take place anywhere the fear and impact of crime in rural areas can be different, primarily due to perception and increased feelings of vulnerability resulting from isolation. The PCC provides £186,474 to West Mercia Police for five rural and business officers (one in each local policing area) to proactively engage and work with communities on crime prevention and awareness raising initiatives. Each officer has access to a rural and business crime fund to support their work and a vehicle to increase reach within their communities.
Building a More Secure West Mercia
Reduce Offending – General £70,000 – West Mercia Youth Justice Service
To develop support and deliver the range of interventions to support youth caution and conditional cautions and support the joint decision model for young people committing offences. This includes contacting known victims, where appropriate, to provide them with information and invite them to become involved in restorative processes.
£103,000 – Willowdene Farm
The Project enables vulnerable women who are offending, or at risk of offending, or leaving the custodial estate to transform their thinking and behaviour to build a purposeful, stable and offending-free lifestyle through access to holistic gender-specific trauma-informed one-stop-shop provision delivering rehabilitative and diversionary pathways.
£30,000 – Longlands Care Farm
To provide an alternative education setting for young people who are excluded from and/or struggle with mainstream education settings. The project enables young people to gain hands on, practical workplace experience as well as achieve recognisable qualifications leading to further education and/or employment. It also provides mental health support for young people suffering depression, anxiety and anti-social and anger issues.
£25,000 – Remember Veterans
To provide support directly to veterans, either in prison, under formal probation supervision or in contact with the police. Direct support will be provided by a suitably qualified and experienced part time Senior RV link worker who will link in with existing services provided by the Armed Forces Covenant Hubs in Herefordshire, Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin and Worcestershire.
£9,197 – Crimestoppers
Funding contributes towards the salary of a Regional Manager who will deliver 3 anti-crime campaigns a year.
£60,000 – Trauma Informed: From Awareness to Action
A trauma-aware and trauma-sensitive response will relate to a whole range of crimes from domestic abuse to exploitation, to rape and serious sexual offences and more. The project will align with the tertiary prevention activities in the West Mercia Police Prevention Strategy. Barnardo’s will recruit and supervise 1 x Barnardo’s Project Worker who will work as an independent voice within the West Mercia Prevention Hub.
Reduce Offending – Substance Misuse
£54,000 – Shropshire
To Shropshire CSP for the Drug Intervention programme (DIP): Working within the local criminal justice system the service supports the Integrated Offender Management (IOM) programme, provides arrest referral support in custody, manages a caseload and provides the treatment element of community sentences Drug Rehabilitation Requirement (DRR) and Alcohol Treatment Requirement (ATR) order. The aim is to reduce offending and re-offending.
£30,378 – Hereford
To Hereford Public Heath for a Drug Intervention Programme. This funding provides the arrest referral service, DRRs and ATRs and supports the IOM team. The aim is to reduce offending and reoffending.
£106,000 – Worcestershire
Worcestershire County Council have commissioning Cranstoun to deliver the substance misuse service across Worcestershire. The PCC’s contribution will go towards the criminal justice aspect of the contract.
£60,000 – Telford & Wrekin
To Telford & Wrekin CSP for the Drug Intervention programme (DIP). This grant commits to delivering the Drug Test on Arrest (DTOA) service (cell sweeps offering and delivering brief interventions, voluntary assessments (VA), required RA) and follow up assessments (FUA), referrals into structured treatment). The grant also supports court orders by delivering DRRs and ATRs. In addition, it provides a rug alcohol worker support for the IOM cohort and custodial sentence and prison release drug and alcohol support.
£110,293 – West Mercia Youth Justice Service For the Substance Misuse programme.
Designed to provide timely and effective specialist substance misuse assessments and interventions to young people in the criminal justice system or who are at risk of entering the youth justice system. The aim is to reduce the harm caused by substance misuse, assist young people to recovery and reduce the likelihood of offending and re-offending.
£43,791 – Divert
Cranstoun have developed an education programme that improves treatment pathways, diverts drug users from long-term drug use and reduces drug-related crime. The DIVERT™ programme can be delivered remotely or in person and caters for anyone over 13 found in possession of an illicit substance.
Reduce Offending – Road Safety
£ 228,742 – MORSE
Road users committing motoring or criminal offences will be referred to YSS for mentoring support to get to the root of the offending behaviour and offer holistic support to prevent further offending. #MORSE will offer a combination of 1-1 intensive support and short specialised interventions delivered by the FRS.
£5,000 – Pathfinder
To Pathfinder. This volunteer run project is designed to reduce the number of road traffic collisions, casualties (KSIs) and convictions amongst vulnerable novice drivers, i.e. 17-24-year olds through pre-licence driver development.
Reassuring West Mercia
Fly-Tipping £100,000
For up to 2 years of funding across West Mercia to deal with the criminal activity of depositing any waste onto land that does not have a licence to accept it. This uncontrolled illegal disposal of waste is a persistent and hazardous activity throughout areas within West Mercia. Apportioned as follows:
Telford &Wrekin (£30,000)
Working in partnership with the National Farmers Union, Smartwater and West Mercia Police Business and Rural crime Team to deliver a new, innovate and sustainable approach to tackle fly tipping on private land based on the areas of prevention, enforcement and cope and recover.
North Worcestershire (£22,000)
The North Worcestershire Council will work in partnership to: Develop a land owners’ charter across north Worcestershire reflecting guidance of best practice amongst land owners as set out by the National Fly-tipping Prevention Group (NFPG); Introduce a prevention and enforcement scheme and establish and manage a network of landowners who are signed up to the charter where best practice, convictions and information can be shared.
South Worcestershire (£15,000)
Work with private landowners to reduce the risk of illegal dumping through prevention and enforcement methods.
Herefordshire (£20,000)
To involve partners such as the Rural Hub, NFU, local police rural and business crime officers, parish councils and land owners to create a toolkit to provide to landowners allowing them to be part of the solution to reduce fly tipping.
West Mercia Wide Smart Tyre Tagging (£10,000)
Working in partnership with Local Authorities, Smartwater and the Environment Agency to deliver a new, innovate and sustainable approach to tackle tyre dumping.
Safer Streets 4
£1.7 million
The PCC was successful in being awarded this funding from the Government’s fourth round of Safer Streets. The funding will be used to improve safety of women and girls across West Mercia. Furthermore, the funding will be invested to increase the number of street watch schemes, provide a digital platform for volunteers to support victims, run an education programme for partners working in the night time economy and schools and colleges focused on healthy relationships. The bids will cover Shropshire, Herefordshire, Telford & Wrekin West Mercia Wide.
Neighbourhood Watch
£29,785
To assist in the setting up of new Neighbourhood Watch groups across West Mercia and for existing schemes to be sustained through social media channels. NHW schemes are invaluable in promoting prevention advice amongst local residents, as well as an excellent tool for developing intelligence around suspicious or unwanted activity.
Water Safety
£20,000 – West Mercia Search and Rescue
WMSAR work closely with West Mercia Police and provide an effective, sustainable and valuable team of unpaid professionals to search for missing persons, promote water safety, respond during flooding and civil-contingencies, thereby reducing the workload of police officers, reducing cost to the force for NPAS deployments, providing a greater visible presence in the community and providing a much better service to vulnerable people in their time of crisis.
£6,000 – SARA
Who provides a search and rescue service across a significant part of the West Mercia Police area, primarily searching for missing person, often in water, and conducts flood rescue and support operations.
£18,400 – Royal Life Saving Society
The original purpose of the grant was to facilitate a role within an expert water safety organisation, to develop the water safety education portfolio of the PCC and the Home and Dry Campaign and to conduct a fact finding and consultation exercise, so that a sustainable and deliverable approach to water safety education is embedded across West Mercia. A 6-month extension has been awarded following the production of a Situational Analysis Report and accompanying educational resources to mobilise the product across the network and to implement a long-term solution that is owned by local agencies. Information on West Mercia area specific grants is also available.
Community Safety Partnership (CSP) Grants Core Funding
£636,541
Each CSP is provided with a ring-fenced budget from the PCC. This budget can be spent on pro-active community safety initiatives, addressing local needs and creating a safer and more secure
West Mercia Closed Circuit Television (CCTV)
£100,000
A budget has been allocated for the purchase and installation of CCTV as one of the mechanisms used across West Mercia to detect and deter criminal activity. Information on area specific projects for CSP funding is available on the separate area sheets.
Commissioners Community Fund (CCF)
£150,000
The PCC provides £150,000 per annum to the safer neighbourhood teams with the autonomy to support local initiatives relevant to their policing area (including Road Safety initiatives). Information on area specific CCF funding is available for each area.
