Safer Streets Funding success with over £700,000 for areas of Leeds and Bradford
29th July 2020
£709,311 in funding has been successfully secured for projects in Bradford and Leeds to reduce burglary.
Mark Burns-Williamson, West Yorkshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC), West Yorkshire Police, Safer Leeds Partnership, Bradford Community Safety Partnership, and social housing providers worked closely together on detailed bids to access targeted resources from the Home Office’s “Safer Streets Fund”.
The fund, a national scheme to particularly help reduce burglary, vehicle crime and other theft based crimes in harder hit residential areas, will provide targeted crime prevention initiatives through designing out burglary opportunities in 2 areas disproportionately affected by this offence in West Yorkshire.
Fagley in Bradford (£549,375), and Gledhow in Leeds (£159,936) will share the funding for these initiatives, which include improving the physical security of homes, erecting fencing, providing crime prevention awareness raising sessions, and installing new street lighting.
PCC Mark Burns-Williamson, said: “I’m really pleased to have helped coordinate and secure this funding with partners for areas of West Yorkshire to deliver some lasting positive changes to prevent crime.”
“We came together in partnership to apply for this funding as we don’t want a single person to go through the trauma of being burgled wherever possible. Anything we can do to reduce burglaries and related criminality has to be welcome.”
“This money will now be used to make a very real and long term difference in these 2 areas, the results of which I will be monitoring closely as the work will need to be undertaken fairly quickly due to the funding conditions attached.”
Assistant Chief Constable Oz Khan, of West Yorkshire Police, said: “Preventing burglaries from happening and dealing with offenders when they do happen is a priority for this Force.
“The most recent crime statistics show a 2.6 per cent reduction in offences in West Yorkshire in 2019/20 with around 7,600 fewer victims and the Force reported a 17.1% reduction in residential burglaries (meaning 3,250 fewer homes were burgled during 2019/20.
“We remain committed to further reducing that figure and this money will help us in that aim by helping to fund crime prevention measures to make it more difficult for would-be burglars to commit crime.”
Cllr Abdul Jabar, Bradford Council’s Executive Member for Neighbourhoods and Community Safety, said: “We are fully behind the efforts the police are making and applaud the extra measures to tackle crime which will be brought in as a result of this funding, making our streets as safe as possible.”
Councillor Debra Coupar, Leeds City Council’s executive member with responsibility for Safer Leeds, said: “Working closely with West Yorkshire Police through the Safer Leeds partnership, we will pursue every avenue and use all of the tools at our disposal to target any form of crime or anti-social behaviour in our city.
“We very much welcome therefore this funding secured through the Safer Streets fund, which will support our wide-ranging work to tackle burglaries in the Gledhow community.”
Geraldine Howley, Incommunities Group Chief Executive, said: “We are delighted to have secured this Home Office funding towards a package of crime prevention measures targeted in the Fagley area.
“Working with the West Yorkshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC), West Yorkshire Police and Bradford Community Safety Partnership this successful bid will help drive down crime, improve physical security measures in the area and hopefully make the community a safer place for everyone.”
Further tips and advice on how keeping your home secure can be found on West Yorkshire Police’s website https://www.westyorkshire.police.uk/advice/home-security/home-security