THE OFFICE of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Dyfed-Powys has secured funding of nearly £800,000 from the Home Office’s Safer Streets 5 Fund, by working closely with respected partners to develop several robust interventions.

The OPCC submitted a total of five funding bids to the Safer Streets 5 fund, totalling almost £1million. However, funding cuts applied by the Home Office have meant that the revised award is now £795,481.

The five bids included a number of intervention initiatives that between them address Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG), acquisitive crime and anti-social behaviour (ASB).

Collaborators include Local Authorities and specialist sector partners including domestic abuse organisations.

The initiatives include;

• Schools Theatre Bystander in Education programme aimed at students aged 14-18, which is designed to shift social norms through challenging undesirable behaviour;
• Vulnerability Awareness and Bystander training, aimed at individuals aged 16-23 in Higher and Further Education by raising awareness and understanding of social norms related to VAWG;
• Man Culture/Man Ally programme aimed at men over the age of 24, with the intention of creating a network of men comprising police, partners, and business leaders in the community who can help reduce VAWG by becoming active bystanders and providing a practical tool to increase feelings of safety;
• Walk Safe/Stay Safe App to complement the existing Street Safe Online reporting tool within force. It enables users to plan different routes or find a place of safety. The app allows users to put in their estimated time of arrival and if they do not arrive in time, their emergency contacts get alerted to their location. There is also a Tap Safe alert system that allows people to send a signal to their contacts if they are in trouble;
• Crimestoppers Combating Unacceptable Behaviours programme, aimed at improving understanding and confidence amongst the public on preventing and/or responding to VAWG and to prevent VAWG in public spaces. This intervention also considers the community impact of VAWG;
• My Safe Place, an intervention developed by Carmarthenshire County Council to provide target hardening support for Domestic Abuse Victims, and a Bystander Intervention Plus collaboration initiative between West Wales Domestic Abuse Service, Carmarthenshire Domestic Abuse Services, Montgomery Family Crisis Centre and Threshold concentrating on 38 areas across Dyfed-Powys. This intervention incorporates Neighbourhood Policing Teams to ensure early intervention;
• Additional CCTV for Aberystwyth town in Ceredigion;
• Connected Communities, led by Pembrokeshire County Council that will provide education surrounding ASB, particularly focussing on environmental crimes;
• The Women’s Centre led by The Nelson’s Trust, which will see an intervention to create a safe space for female victims and/or perpetrators to receive appropriate support to address their underlying needs and reduce reoffending.

Police and Crime Commissioner Dafydd Llywelyn said; “Securing eight hundred thousand pounds of funding for intervention initiatives targeting violence against women and girls, acquisitive crime and anti-social behaviour represents our relentless commitment to the safety and well-being of our communities.

“This investment underlines our dedication to work collaboratively with local partners to find proactive solutions, and I’m looking forward to seeing the impact of these initiatives as we work to ensure safer and more resilient communities for all”.