Sunderland, Newcastle and South Tyneside to benefit from £4m of funding to tackle violent crimes and antisocial behaviour
Sunderland, Newcastle, South Tyneside and the wider North East are set to benefit from £4 million of investment to tackle anti-social behaviour and serious violence.
The Government funding has been secured for two of the region’s key crime prevention initiatives - Northumbria’s Violence Reduction Unit (VRU) and Project Shield.
The funding will support robust targeted policing and early intervention initiatives and the news has been welcomed by Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner, Susan Dungworth, who launched Project Shield following her election last summer.
She said: “It’s great we have a Government that is giving financial backing to two key approaches that we’ve seen are making a real difference across our force area.
“There is no single solution to stopping things like ASB and serious violence but combining a range of approaches certainly helps.
“People want to see more patrols to support communities and deter crime – as we’re delivering through Project Shield - and they want fewer people to turn to crime in the first place, and that’s where the VRU comes in – identifying issues early and responding with targeted diversionary work.
“What both these projects recognise is the need for the whole region to come together in tackling these issues, they’re not just police problems. Our council, transport and community partners can, and are playing a key part in the successes we have seen to date. There really is a sense of togetherness among all those working hard for our communities.
“Residents are telling me they’re seeing the impact this work is having. They want more of it and that is what they will get thanks to the Government’s confirmation of continued funding.
“As PCC, I have set out a clear plan for delivering safer streets and stronger communities and I very much see Project Shield and the work of the Violence Reduction Unit playing a valuable role in achieving this.”
£1.8m of funding is coming to the region through The Hotspot Action Fund, allowing Project Shield to continue “providing increased patrols and engagement in target areas”.
A further £2.2m has been secured for Northumbria’s Violence Reduction Unit, as part of Government’s Safer Streets Mission. This means the Unit can continue building on its preventative work in tackling the root causes of serious violence.
Northumbria Police Assistant Chief Constable Andy Hill feels the funding can continue to make a real difference.
He said: “We are aware that anti-social behaviour and serious violence can have serious and life-changing consequences, which can also affect the wider public.
“Through the work of Project Shield, latest figures show that we are having a significant impact in addressing these issues in order to reassure residents and keep our communities amongst some of the safest in the country.
“We remain grateful for the continued support of our partner organisations as well as residents as we carry on our efforts in this area.
“We are confident that this latest announcement confirming additional funding will help us to further drive down ASB and serious violence in our region, getting more weapons seized, locating more known offenders and engaging further with the public we serve, including our young people, in the process.”
Since its launch, Project Shield has delivered an additional 21,664 patrol hours by police and partners, as well as targeted activity across areas of concern.
It is one of a number of initiatives that has helped anti-social behaviour fall by 18.1% in localised areas, and serious violence by 12.85%.
Alongside other VRU interventions, it has contributed to an overall region wide reduction of 5.8% in serious violence and 5.7% in offences involving a knife.