New Round of Safer Streets Fund Focuses on Reducing Violence Against Women and Girls

Grants available to Police and Crime Commissioners and local authorities in England and Wales to support crime prevention plans in areas affected by high levels of crime.

The Home Office has launched the third round of the Safer Streets Fund.

Rounds One and Two of the Safer Streets Fund were designed to prevent neighbourhood crimes such as burglary, robbery and theft. Totalling £45 million, these two rounds of funding have provided Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) and Local Authorities the opportunity to invest in areas disproportionately affected by neighbourhood crimes, implementing both physical and community-based interventions proven to prevent these crimes before they occur. These interventions include improved street lighting, reinforced home security, alley gating and increased CCTV coverage.

The objective of this third round of funding will be to improve the safety of public places for all, with a particular focus on reducing Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) crimes, in these spaces, as well as improving feelings of public safety in target areas. Bidders are encouraged to devise innovative and inventive proposals to do so.

The main aims of this fund are to:

  • Reduce VAWG and increase women and girls’ feelings of safety in public spaces
  • Build the evidence base for what works on reducing VAWG crimes and increasing women and girls’ feelings of safety in the public domain
  • Improve the national and local data picture regarding VAWG crimes in public spaces, which could include increased reporting for some crime types
  • Make public spaces safer for all

PCCs, local authorities in England and Wales, and the British Transport Police (BTP) are eligible to apply.

The total amount of funding available for the third round is £25 million.

Applicants are able to submit up to three prioritised bids, each for a defined local area within their PCC geography, with up to £550,000 grant funding being available per successful bid.

Applications for Round Three must be submitted by the deadline of 15 July 2021.