£20m boost to make our streets safer
PRITI Patel vowed to make communities safer by giving police and councils £20million to tackle neighbourhood crimes such as burglary and robbery.
The Home Secretary said the Safer Streets fund will pay for more home security, street lights and CCTV cameras.
Ms Patel also revealed police have hired an additional 6,620 officers since the start of the recruitment campaign last year.
The Government wants 20,000 more officers by March 2023. To meet this target, forces needed to have hired 6,000 at this point – meaning they are ahead of target.
Ms Patel said: “This unprecedented recruitment programme is about delivering real and meaningful improvements for the public, for victims or those who live in fear of crime, and ultimately society as a whole.
“In addition to boosting the police presence on our streets, we must also take action to stop criminals in their tracks.
“That is why I launched a fund last year to improve security in areas blighted by crimes including burglary, robbery and theft.
“These offences can have a devastating impact on the victims, as well as the wider community. Through the Safer Streets Fund, we are investing in measures designed to prevent crimes from happening in the first place, such as CCTV and street lighting.
“The first round of funding is already being put to good use – and I am now making a further £20million available to support even more areas disproportionately affected by these crimes in 2021/22.”
Police recorded more than 350,000 burglaries in the year to March 2020 while robberies increased to 83,241.
More than 430,000 vehicle offences were also recorded.
But few burglaries or vehicle crimes are ever solved, leaving victims frustrated with a lack of justice.
Home Office figures showed just over one in 10 robberies result in a suspect being charged. National Police Chiefs’ Council chairman Martin Hewitt said: “These additional officers are most welcomed and have already started to make a difference. We still have a long way to go before we truly represent those we serve”
Bernie O’Reilly, interim CEO of the College of Policing said: “We must continue to build on this progress.”