£50,000 to tackle anti-social behaviour
THE BOROUGH will see almost £50,000 pumped into tackling anti-social behaviour over the next four years.
Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for Thames Valley, Matthew Barber, has committed £7.72 million to the region to support Community Safety Partnerships.
Mr Barber said the best way to focus on the issue is by working in partnership with communities and councils.
Community Safety Partnerships (CSPs) are hosted by each local authority in Thames Valley and work closely with the police and other agencies on projects to cut crime.
In the year 2022/2023, Wokingham will receive £103,138, and this will grow to £126,561 for 2023/2024 and £150,875 for 2024/2025.
Mr Barber said committing to a three-year funding settlement will help councils plan for long-term projects.
Cllr John Halsall, leader of the borough council, said it should help those most in need.
“It will help make things happen, but it’s not a huge amount of money,” he said. “But we should be able to really help the people who need help.
“Clearly neither domestic violence nor antisocial behaviour is a singular issue – it’s a combination of issues which we could help alleviate and resolve.
“Obviously not in all cases, but if we were able to resolve 50%, we’d be doing well.”
The PCC hopes the funds will be used on initiatives such as street associations or antisocial behaviour task forces.
“The work that my team does in partnership with councils and the police is invaluable,” Mr Barber said. “I am delighted to be able to demonstrate a longterm commitment to support local projects that seek to reduce crime and anti-social behaviour through prevention and pro-active work within communities.
“This funding is in addition to the work commissioned and carried out directly by my office to support Thames Valley Police and other agencies to tackle crime and make our communities safer.”
The proposals are being presented to the Thames Valley Police and Crime Panel later this month.