The West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner, Birmingham City Council and City of Wolverhampton Council have secured £679,602 to make the streets of our region safer.
The two thirds of a million pounds will be used to clamp down on burglary, robbery and vehicle theft.
The money is coming from the Government’s Safer Streets Fund and will go towards measures proven to cut crime, including simple changes like fitting more street lighting and CCTV and ensuring gates on alleyways can be locked.
The government has promised that more funding will be available to bid for in future and this will be designed to target changing the behaviour of some men, so women and girls feel safe in their communities.
One of the areas targeted will be Stockland Green in Birmingham, a place in which ‘exempt housing’ has caused a number of issues.
The West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner Simon Foster, said: “After years of essential preventative public services being starved of funding it is good to see we’ve been able to secure some additional money to make small, but not insignificant, improvements to our streets.
“We know there are simple things that can be done to prevent crime and, working with the council, we intend to use this money to do them. We’ll tighten security where we think it can be tighter and we’ll make sure CCTV is fitted in crime hotspots.”
Councillor John Cotton, Birmingham City Council’s Cabinet Member for Community Safety said:
“This is very welcome news and will be a real boost to our efforts to tackle anti-social behaviour and support the local community.
“The Council will be working closely with residents, the PCC and the police to make sure this extra money helps to deliver a safer neighbourhood for everyone who lives or works in Stockland Green”.
| PCC or Local Authority | Grant funding awarded (£) | Number of bids covered |
| Birmingham City Council | 432,000 | 1 |
| Wolverhampton City Council | 247,602 | 1 |
