Community groups ‘gain from crime’

WEST Yorkshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner has given more than £30,000 seized from criminals to Kirklees community groups.

Mark Burns-Williamson has now returned nearly £1.7m of money recovered under the Proceeds of Crime Act back to the county since February 2014.

Seven projects in Kirklees were awarded a total of £32,646.65 during the latest round of the PCC’s Safer Communities Fund.

Calderdale was awarded £25,357 for seven projects, including £4,694 for Inspiring Community CIC, which supports hard to reach young people in Rastrick and Brighouse.

Mark said: “This is a fantastic group of innovative and worthwhile projects and I am looking forward to seeing the difference they make in our communities over the coming months.

“A big thank you to our police service and prosecutors for recovering this money and continuing to ensure that crime doesn’t pay here in West Yorkshire. Without their hard work, the fund wouldn’t exist.”

The highest grants in Kirklees were £5,000 and were awarded to Safer Kirklees, Huddersfield Community Trust and KBW Foundation.

Safer Kirklees provides Council with community safety and anti-social behaviour services.

The grant will fund an ‘anti-social behaviour boot camp’ aimed at 10 to 016 year olds who may be referred from schools, police including PCSOs and other agencies.

The boot camp will educate the children about the restorative approach to justice, cyber crime and sexting, alcohol and drugs including so-called ‘legal’ highs and healthy highs that can substitute substance misuse.

Huddersfield Community Trust is a charity and it will deliver a series of 100 assemblies across Kirklees, making pupils aware of cyber crime.

Other grants in Kirklees went to the Thornton Lodge Action Group, Sports Education and Training 3 In Communities, The Basement Project and Community Links (Northern Ltd).

The Thornton Lodge Action Group, a resident-led organisation, was awarded £4,986 to run a 24-week support group for women to share life stories, reduce isolation and build confidence and self-esteem.

The Basement Project, an abstinence-based treatment provider within Kirklees, will spend £4,219 on a cycling project for recovering addicts.

West Yorkshire Chief Constable Dee Collins said: “It gives me great satisfaction to take money away from criminals and see it go to people who make a positive and lasting difference.”