Safer Streets

Since 2022, over £3.4M additional funding has been invested in Swindon and Wiltshire to support targeted community projects tackling neighbourhood crime, such as burglary, robbery, theft and vehicle theft, as well as reducing violence against women and girls (VAWG).

This follows successful bids from the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC) and local councils to the Home Office’s “Safer Streets Fund”.

The “Safer Streets Fund” was launched by the government in 2020 and over £160M has been awarded to OPCCs and local authorities across England and Wales.

The OPCC has worked with Swindon Borough Council and Wiltshire Council as well as the Community Safety Partnerships, which includes representatives from the Fire Service and the NHS, in both areas to identify areas where investment was needed and the organisations who could provide the services to meet those needs.

Some of the projects Safer Streets Fund has provided funding for include:

• Funding for night-time economy wardens in Salisbury and Trowbridge on Friday and Saturday evenings.
  
  
• Improved street lighting and CCTV in Swindon, as well as funding for four deployable CCTV cameras in Salisbury and additional CCTV cameras in Chippenham town centre.

• Funding to support vulnerable people in burglary hotspots through the Bobby Van Trust as well as a grant to make changes to the area surrounding the Salisbury Playhouse to prevent ASB. Funding will also be provided to improve the reporting of crime and ASB in hotspot areas.
  
  
• An outreach programme providing health checks, support and advice for sex workers in Swindon

• A large programme of detached youth work and mentoring in Swindon, Chippenham and Salisbury, including one to one mentoring for those most at risk.