Andrew Snowden, Lancashire's Police and Crime Commissioner, has awarded another £175,000 to projects across Lancashire, with money from his Safer Lancashire Neighbourhoods Fund (SLNF) now surpassing £1 million since launching in March last year.
Six schemes in East Lancashire are part of 12 to have been funded in this latest round -which will see diversionary activity, CCTV, and support for vulnerable people rolled out.
In what is a case of poetic justice, the PCC is allocating the seized assets of criminals to community-based projects to reduce crime and ASB.
Here in Burnley, BPR Council for Voluntary Services have been awarded £10,000 to work with to deliver diversionary activity to reduce anti-social behaviour and reduce the risk of exploitation of vulnerable young people.
Commenting, local MP Antony Higginbotham who has been working closely with the PCC said:
I’ve said before that using cash seized from criminals to make our streets safer is a brilliant initiative. And I’m really pleased to see that Burnley and Padiham is once again benefitting.
We've seen a massive uplift in front line police numbers and tougher sentences introduced. And working with the PCC, we're continuing to see seized criminal assets being put to good use. I’m 100% behind this scheme and want to thank Andrew for the work he’s doing in this area.
Andrew Snowden, Police and Crime Commissioner for Lancashire said:
I’m really pleased to invest more money across all three of the Safer Lancashire Neighbourhoods Fund strands, for schemes that all have the common aim of delivering my Fighting Crime Plan and protecting the public.
This milestone shows that by providing grants to organisations that understand the issues in their communities, we can make a big difference across the county. The poetic justice that we can do this by using cash taken out of the pockets of criminals makes it even more satisfying to see the positive results of reducing crime in Lancashire.
By making areas more resilient and deterring crime, addressing root causes and supporting enforcement we are helping ensure less people become victims, and less people fall into a life of crime, which all makes Lancashire a safer place for everyone.
I will continue to work closely with the Chief Constable and Antony to ensure that we are delivering on the priorities that the public tell me they want to see, punishing those who make life a misery for others and keeping Lancashire safe.
