Huw Merriman, MP for the Bexhill and Battle constituency has welcomed the announcement that Sussex Police will receive £893,366 in extra funding as part of the Government’s £25 million Safer Streets Fund.

The Safer Streets Fund forms part of the Government’s concerted action to tackle crime, and aims to stop offences that blight communities and cause misery to victims from happening in the first place.

The extra funding will be aimed at improving security in areas particularly affected by acquisitive crimes such as burglary, vehicle theft and robbery.

These offences are the crimes that the public are most likely to encounter, and they are estimated to cost society billions of pounds every year.

The £893,366 of new funding will go towards measures proven to cut crime. These include simple changes to the design of streets such as locked gates around alleyways, increased street-lighting and the installation of CCTV.

The funding will also be used to train community wardens, deliver local crime prevention advice to residents and establish Neighbourhood Watch schemes.

Police and Crime Commissioners were invited to bid for a share of the £25 million Safer Streets Fund in January, with each project eligible for a grant of up to £550,000.

Bids were evaluated against a set criteria and bidders were asked to outline a plan to reduce crime within a local crime hotspot, demonstrating value for money, evidence of community engagement and long-term sustainability.

This additional funding comes alongside the Government’s commitment to recruit 20,000 additional police officers over the next three years, and the £1.1 billion funding boost for the policing system for 2020-21.

Commenting, Huw said:

“The Government is delivering on its commitment to crack down on crime and make our streets safer. The £893,366 announced today for Sussex Police will help deliver that.

“This new money will help fund proven crime cutting measures, such as increased street lighting, CCTV and locked gates around alleyways. I know of a number of areas in the Bexhill and Battle constituency which would benefit from these measures. This extra funding will help to prevent and reduce crimes such as burglary, robbery and anti-social behaviour in the areas that need it most.

“It's important that people feel secure in their communities, especially as we start to move out of the COVID-19 lockdown and back into our new 'normal' lives. We all need to feel be able to live our lives free from the threat of crime, and this extra funding for Sussex Police will help make that possible.”

Home Secretary Priti Patel said:

“I will not stand by while criminals inflict fear and misery on our communities. That is why I set up this fund to ensure we are doing all we can to prevent people falling victim to these crimes.”