County to get a share of £30m to help tackle violent crime

MILLIONS of pounds has been announced to help tackle violence and murder in places including Leicester.

The government is providing an extra £30 million funding pot to target “violence hotspots” in a bid to crack down on murders, knife crime and other serious offences.

Only 18 out of the 41 police forces in England and Wales will get the money and Leicestershire Police will be one of them, due to crime levels in the county.

Leicestershire Police, which opened murder investigations into two fatal stabbings within four days of each other last week, will have to come up with a plan for using the money and make a bid, which will then have to be approved.

Home Secretary Priti Patel said the spending is part of more than £130 million being made available in the coming year to tackle violent crime and make Britain safer.

It will also pay for renewing and expanding existing projects – like those challenging the behaviour of domestic abusers and paying for investigations into gang material on social media – as well as funding schemes, like £23 million being set aside for more early intervention programmes to steer young people away from a life of crime.

As part of these projects there are plans for trained professionals to intervene and provide support to youngsters when they are taken into police custody or end up in hospital with an injury, the Home Office said.

The announcement comes ahead of the introduction of a criminal justice Bill which will seek to give police more stop and search powers to tackle those known to carry knives and other weapons. The Bill also seeks to place a duty on public bodies, such as the police and education authorities, to work together to address violence, as well as require councils – and not just police and the coroner – to look into deaths where weapons are involved to help prevent more tragedies.

Ms Patel said she was “determined to cut crime” and make the country’s streets safer by giving police the resources they need, but added: “When it comes to gangs and serious violence, we must also tackle underlying causes.” Assistant Chief Constable Jackie Sebire, who leads the National Police Chiefs’ Council’s work on serious violent crime, said tackling serious violence was a “priority” for forces.

She said: “Even during the pandemic we have seen serious streetbased violence continue and particularly violence involving young people as both victims and perpetrators.”

Last week saw 24-year-old Connor Black stabbed to death in Syston and then the fatal stabbing of Geetika Goyal.