WPCC3-0126 – Safer Streets 5

Decision Reference Number: WPCC3-0126

Lead Officer: Sara Ansell

Chief Officer approval: N/A

Date: 22/02/2024

Status: Non-confidential

Decision summary:

To approve the receipt of grant and allocations to partner organisations to deliver against the Safer Streets 5 project bids made to the Home Office.

I confirm that my register of interests declaration is up to date and that none of my interests preclude me from making this decision.

Signature: P.Seccombe

Date: 26/02/2024

Supporting information

1. Background information

The Home Office launched its Safer Streets 5 funding round in July 2023.  Each PCC was initially allocated a fixed allocation of £1.000m, with funding split across an 18 month period commencing on the 01 October 2023, through to 31 March 2025, with specific allocations made for each financial year.  Initial project submissions were made as outlined in this decision notice and approved by the Home Office.

PCC’s were invited to submit up to three project bids for approval to secure the funding by the 31 August 2023.

The Home Office Safer Streets 5 criteria required PCC’s to be the lead organisation for all bids, and that project bids must fall within the following crime types and scope:

1. Neighbourhood crime: including domestic burglary, robbery, theft from person or vehicle crime.
2. Anti-social behaviour (ASB): that falls within a definition in the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 legislation, if the detailed specific types of behaviours being targeted are identified.
3. Violence against women and girls (VAWG) in public places and feelings of safety from VAWG: For the purposes of this fund, VAWG in public spaces was defined broadly as crimes and issues that disproportionately impact women and girls’ safety and feelings of safety in public spaces. The list of crimes in scope was extensive. It was also recognised that it is not just women and girls who experience such violence, and proposals to target areas where other persons with protected characteristics are found to experience high levels of crime were also welcomed.

The office worked closely with key partners, including each of the Local Authorities and CSP representatives (including Warwickshire Police) to formulate proposals. Three project submissions were made by the August 2023 deadline totalling £0.465m in 2023/24 and £0.535m, in line with the available funding for each year.  The Home Office requirement to identify at least 50% match funding was met, through a combination of planned spending by partners.  All areas of the county have been covered by the projects, as follows

Project 1- CCTV

A project to improve the provision of CCTV across the county in key locations to tackle neighbourhood crime, ASB and VAWG as follows:

• Warwick DC – installation of 8 cameras in the Leamington town centre area, covering access and Egress routes from the town. Focussing on all crime types, including Neighbourhood crime, ASB and VAWG.
• Nuneaton & Bedworth BC – A new Nomad camera for The Dingle location. This will complete the extensive work from Round 4 and cover the green area further down where nuisance motorbikes have been displaced to.
• Stratford DC – Installation of 5 new cameras around the outer Town centre, plus the employment of a CCTV controller for a 12 month period.
• North Warks BC – Installation/ upgrading of 5 new cameras sited in LSOA areas in the Borough, including Coleshill, Atherstone and Polesworth, plus the employment of staff for the CCTV control room. Also, 3 additional Fly tipping cameras to be initially targeted in Hartshill.
• Rugby BC – Upgrading of the Town centre CCTV systems, software, and hardware upgrades to allow some expansion of the system, plus the installation of 3 additional cameras at Millennium Green.

Project 2- ASB and VAWG Hotspots

A project to further supplements activity to prevent ASB and VAWG in key hotspot locations, as follows:

• Warwick DC – Street Marshals (x4) and street Wardens (x2 plus vehicle) to provide extensions to the schemes already in place for Leamington Town centre, targeting various crime issues.
• Nuneaton & Bedworth BC – Further target hardening measures at The Dingle to support the previous round 4 work and tackling the displacement onto the adjacent field.
• Rugby BC – Installation of 6 additional lamp columns to increase the lighting in the Millennium Green area, plus the installation of 2 additional help points in the town centre.

Project 3- Empowerment

A project to increase the capability and capacity of key frontline workers and the community in general to prevent and reduce neighbourhood crime, ASB and VAWG, as follows:

• WCC Community safety team – Community empowerment events, targeted at the LSOA’s with the highest rates of ASB, VAWG and Neighbourhood crime. Carrying out at least 20 events with partnership agencies. Purchasing of crime prevention kits and funding for room hire. Following this WCC will target interventions identified from the community events, including public areas and routes to school where there is a fear of crime. To carry out interventions such as community payback removing vegetation, upgrade to lighting and removal of street furniture.
• Warwick DC – To provide bystander training to staff regarding NTE.
• Warwickshire police- training of 155 officers/ staff on behaviour detection officer methodology, focussing on Nuneaton Town centre, Leamington Town centre and Rugby Town centres.
• Rugby BC – Millennium community garden project to compliment all the other work being carried out in the area.
• Crimestoppers – Educational and awareness projects focussing on VAWG and targeted to the 3 Town centre areas.
• WCC – Safer Streets Co-ordinator costs.

The Home office undertook evaluations of each of the submitted bids, which were duly approved, and a grant agreement for the 2023/24 award of £0.465m was issued to the OPCC, with the expectation of a separate grant agreement for 2024/25 funding of £0.535m to be shared closer to the start of the year.

The approved allocation of funding to partners is summarised in the table below:

However, following the announcement of the provisional police settlement in December, the allocations through the Safer Streets 5 programme, were reviewed and all PCC’s had their funding in 2024/25 reduced by £0.180m, meaning the total Safer Streets 5 funding allocated to each PCC reduced to a new total of £0.820m across the programme.  PCC’s were invited to resubmit their project proposals to accommodate this reduction in funding, and these have been duly approved by the Home Office.

The revised funding and project proposals are outlined in the table below:

The 2024/25 grant agreement is expected in due course, reflecting the revised project proposals.  Terms and conditions to partner agencies have also been amended to reflect any changes that impact on 2023/24, through projects being brought forward, and new terms and conditions for 2024/25 will be issued once the grant agreement from the Home Office has been received.

2. List of additional information attached as appendices

None

3. Expected benefits

The key objectives are to:

• Reduce neighbourhood crimes (domestic burglary, robbery, theft from person, vehicle crime).
• Reduce ASB incidents.
• Change perceptions, attitudes, and behaviours towards VAWG and ASB in public places, with the long-term goal of reducing VAWG crimes and disorder in public. However, for VAWG and ASB, it should be noted that increased reporting could be seen as a positive outcome.
• Improve feelings of safety for everyone within the community, in particular women and girls’ feelings of safety in public spaces and the Night-Time Economy1 (NTE).
• Make local areas safer and reduce demand on the police, local authorities, and other local agencies.
• Increase local area trust in policing and their activities within the community.
• Build the evidence base for what works on reducing neighbourhood crimes and ASB and for changing attitudes and behaviours in relation to VAWG in the public domain.

The secondary objectives are to:

• Grow local capability, and increase community ownership, to undertake data driven problem solving and capture evidence and practical learning about how best to implement interventions to prevent crime and ASB. Understand secondary crime benefits associated with preventing and reducing neighbourhood crime, VAWG and ASB.
• Improve the national and local data picture regarding neighbourhood crime, ASB, and VAWG in public spaces.
• Improve awareness of the ASB tools and powers from the 2014 Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act and the approaches in the Anti-Social Behaviour Action Plan 2023.

4. Impact of not approving the application

The county would miss out on £0.820m of funding made available by the Home Office to deliver interventions to address specific crime types.

5. Costs (including any identified savings)

£0.820m of funding has been secured from the Home Office, split across 2023/24 and 2024/25.  Separate grant agreements will be issued for each year and there can be no slippage in spending from 2023/24 to 2024/25. Some underspending has been identified against the 2023/24 projects, and because of this and the lower funding allocations for 2024/25, the Home Office have approved the changes outlined within the project re-submissions whereby some work being expedited.

A grant agreement for 2024/25 is expected, based on the revised funding of £0.355m prior to April 2024.

6. Equality considerations

All policies apply and partner organisations must ensure that impact assessments are undertaken where appropriate.

7. Legal comments

Terms and conditions will be issued to other partners for the delivery of their projects and any underspends in either year will be returned in line with the grant conditions to the Home Office.

8. Social or Environmental considerations

SSFR5 will continue to support the work of PCCs and local partners to prevent and tackle issues which can blight communities, have a serious impact on the health and wellbeing of individuals, and ruin the enjoyment of, and feelings of safety within public spaces.

9. Publication

Information in this form is subject to the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOI Act) and other legislation.  Unless the information provided is covered by an exemption, the information contained in the form will be published on the Warwickshire PCC website.

Comments from the Treasurer

The costs of the Safer Streets 5 projects will be met in full from the £0.820m of approved grant funding from the Home Office, spread over the 2023/24 and 2024/25 financial years.  The OPCC will oversee the projects with partners, issuing terms and conditions to them and processing subsequent payments for costs incurred in line with the approved project submission.  The Office will also be responsible for submitting the required returns to the Home Office, in line with the requirements of the Home Office grant agreement to draw down the grant funding.

Comments from the Chief Executive and Monitoring Officer

This funding brings opportunities for targeted work in specific areas to address known issues. A robust process has supported the application and costing work.