ALMOST one million pounds of additional funding will target neighbourhood crime across the county and four designated projects will benefit Salisbury. 

The funds are as a result of a successful bid from the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC) to the latest round of the Home Office’s Safer Streets Fund and £998, 251 was secured from a pot worth £42 million.

Working alongside Wiltshire Council and Swindon Borough Council plus Community Safety Partnerships, the OPCC worked to identify areas where the investment was needed. 

The funding will target burglary, robbery, theft, and vehicle theft as well as to help reduce violence against women and girls (VAWG).  

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Police and Crime Commissioner Philip Wilkinson said: “The latest figures show we’ve seen a 15 per cent increase in knife crime compared to a three per cent rise nationally in Swindon and Wiltshire.

“We need to get to the root cause of these offences and engage with young people before they’re dragged into situations, they find difficult to get out of.

The money will be used across three projects and split between 12 separate schemes in Wiltshire focussing on a safer night-time economy, preventing burglary and anti-social behaviour (ASB).

Proposals for Salisbury include:

  • Funding for night-time economy wardens in Salisbury on Friday and Saturday evenings.
  • Funding for four deployable CCTV cameras in Salisbury
  • Funding to make changes to the area surrounding the Salisbury Playhouse to prevent anti-social behaviour.
  • Funding for youth engagement and mentoring in Salisbury.

Philip Wilkinson added: “The projects address the issues that matter to people, such as anti-social behaviour, making the streets safer for women and girls, and burglary and robbery.

"This focus on prevention backs the work of Wiltshire Police as they get tough on offenders, reducing the number of innocent people becoming victims."