Safer Streets Fund is building confidence in the police

• Evaluation of the first round of the Safer Streets Fund shows that this investment is boosting trust in police and making communities feel safer
• To date, £120 million has been spent on initiatives such as improving street lighting and home security to cut neighbourhood crime
• This follows the government’s commitment to work tirelessly to crack down on anti-social behaviour

People in communities that have had extra CCTV and streetlighting rolled out are less likely to worry about being mugged or robbed, an independent evaluation of the first round of the Safer Streets Fund has found.

The findings also show that the fund is helping to build confidence in the police, with residents in these areas more likely to think their local police are doing a good or excellent job. This reflects the efforts made to make residents aware of the work being done to make them feel more secure such as fitting new locks, video doorbells and alarms.

The Safer Streets Fund was launched in January 2020, and has to date supported 270 projects aiming to cut neighbourhood crime such as theft, burglary, anti-social behaviour and violence against women and girls. Police and Crime Commissioners and local authorities in England and Wales, the British Transport Police and eligible civil society organisations have received £120m in total across four rounds of the Fund.

Successful projects include in Humberside where improved communal entrances in flats are helping to prevent drug dealing, and new storage units are stopping bike and motorbike theft.  In Northampton, funding has supported improvements to the security of thousands of homes that were vulnerable to burglary, with alleyway gates installed to prevent an easy escape for offenders. 

Other projects across the country have set up Neighbourhood Watch groups, increased CCTV, and introduced wardens to undertake community engagement and sharing crime prevention advice with the public – demonstrating levelling up in action. 

Minister of State for Crime & Policing, Chris Philp, said:

“Our local communities are the beating hearts of the UK, and I want our streets to be safe for everyone to go about their daily lives without fear inflicted on them by criminals. 

“Increasing public safety in our communities, and restoring people’s confidence in the police and pride in where they live, is an absolute priority. 

“This funding gives local people the power to make real changes in their area, as well as driving investment in businesses and jobs.” 

The evaluation shows the positive impact of investing in initiatives to improve local environments, and how this makes people feel safer and more engaged in their communities: 

“People have been thrilled to see [the improvements]; it’s made a huge difference. In consultation, people feel unsafe when they’re walking through an area covered in litter and graffiti, and what this has done has helped actually lift the area.” - Round One Project Lead 

“What we're finding is we're now getting more information about what's happening in the community... previously we found people weren't that forthcoming with information. So we are gaining trust.” - Humberside Police 

As part of the government’s commitment to drive down crime and improve public safety, the Home Office has to date run four rounds of the Safer Streets Fund, which provides funding to communities across England and Wales.

Inspector Richard Mirfin, Humberside Police said:

“The Safer Streets funding has allowed us to work alongside partners and the local community – who all had a real desire to implement positive change across the Westcliff area. It has enabled us to come together to design-out crime and increase a sense of community ownership – making the local area Safer and Stronger.

“As part of this initiative, approved security features were added to properties, along with the implementation of innovative design solutions leading to a reduction in antisocial behaviour and a decrease in opportunities for crime to occur. A network of champions from within the local community supported the delivery of wider initiatives increasing the sense of community and pride in the local area.

“This initiative supported us in increasing our connection with the local community, providing regular opportunities for a two-way conversation with local residents and businesses about the issues causing them concern and then taking action together. Officers continue to be in regular attendance at the community centre at the heart of Westcliff, where they are on hand to provide advice and reassurance and listen to any concerns alongside our partner agency teams. 

“Thanks to the Safer Streets funding we are now further connected with our local community – and our local dedicated Neighbourhood Policing Teams are proud to remain part of that. Designing out crime has opened up these channels of engagement, and by doing that we can continue to invest into our community.”

Association of Police and Crime Commissioners Chair Marc Jones, said:

“We are pleased to see that the work we do as Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) is making a tangible difference in our communities and improving the public’s confidence in policing.  

“The Safer Streets Fund allows us as PCCs to work with our local partners in areas that are disproportionately affected by neighborhood and acquisitive crime, investing in preventative approaches to make our communities safer.

“We have witnessed firsthand the positive impact these preventative initiatives have had in supporting victims, tackling anti-social behaviour, embedding vital community safety projects and helping to tackle violence against women and girls.  

“We look forward to continuing this work alongside our partners, preventing crime and making a real difference to the lives of those in our communities.”

National Police Chiefs’ Council Chair, Martin Hewitt, said:

“It’s encouraging to see that the work being carried out by forces as part of the Safer Streets Programme and the response to various crimes, such as robbery and theft, is having a positive impact on the public’s view towards policing.

“There have been numerous examples of insightful and innovative projects implemented by forces in their areas, which has helped give their local communities more confidence in policing and made them feel safer. This extends across a range of different areas, including Violence Against Women and Girls and Neighbourhood Policing, as well as better engagement and communication by forces with their communities.

“We’re hopeful that this positive shift in public perception will continue and evaluations of the other rounds will show similar results.”

Since its launch, the Government has committed £120 million to the Safer Streets Fund to support local areas across England and Wales to introduce initiatives aimed at stopping offences happening in the first place. 

Notes to Editors: 

Safer Streets Fund Round One allocations: 

Background on Safer Streets 

• Safer Streets Round One Evaluation: Evaluation of the Safer Streets Fund Round 1, year ending March 2021 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

• In total, since 2020, we’ve funded 270 projects across England and Wales to deliver crime prevention measures through the Safer Streets Fund. This has resulted in increased CCTV, street lighting, and enhanced home security. 
• Kantar Public carried the evaluation out between May 2020 and November 2021. It comprised several strands, including a detailed process evaluation that explored how local projects implemented and delivered their SSF1 interventions. The impact evaluation aimed to measure the differences made by the SSF1 programme by analysing police recorded crime data and primary survey data on public perceptions of crime and safety. 
• Round One of the Safer Streets Fund (£25 million), supported 52 projects across England and Wales in 2020/21 to introduce crime prevention interventions such as improved home security and CCTV in areas disproportionately impacted by acquisitive crimes. 
• Round Two of the Safer Streets Fund, worth £20 million, supported 50 areas across England and Wales in 2021/22 to introduce well-evidenced interventions to cut down crimes such as burglary, robbery and theft. 
• The third, £25 million round of the Safer Streets Fund, supported 57 projects across England and Wales in 2021/22. This round has an expanded focus to reducing violence against women and girls in public spaces and improving feelings of safety through innovative and well-evidenced interventions including educational initiatives as well as physical interventions such as improved streetlighting. 
• The fourth round, worth £50 million, will fund 111 projects over the course of 18 months across the 2022/23 and 2023/24 financial years. The investment will go to Police and Crime Commissioners, local authorities, and civil society organisations. It combines and expands on previous rounds, targeting  neighbourhood crime and violence against women and girls in public, as well as including anti-social  behaviour (ASB) as a  primary focus for the first time. 
• £50 million of funding per year for the next three years was announced for the Safer Streets Fund in the Levelling Up White Paper.  Round Four of the Safer Streets Fund, which has now launched, will continue and build upon the approach of providing funding to areas that need it the most. In addition to a focus on neighbourhood crimes, such as burglary and robbery, and violence against women and girls in public, this round newly includes anti-social behaviour as a primary focus. We know anti-social behaviour can blight communities and it is associated with the social and economic status of neighbourhoods. As in previous rounds, bidders will need to demonstrate that their target areas are disproportionately impacted by crime to be eligible to receive funding. 
• The £5m Safety of Women at Night Fund – supporting 22 projects in the 2021/22 financial year -  also focused on initiatives designed to prevent violence against women and helping them feel safer, but with a focus on public spaces at night, including within venues as well as on routes home. It is supported by projects that target potential perpetrators, seek to protect potential victims, or deliver programmes intended to address offending behaviour.  Its work will now be rolled into the Safer Streets Fund.