£730,000 cash boost to help Hampshire police and crime commissioner clamp down on violence against women and girls

Hampshire’s police and crime commissioner, Donna Jones, has secured £733,551 of Home Office funding to co-ordinate five local authorities in tackling not only violence against women and girls, but also anti-social behaviour.

Portsmouth, Gosport, Fareham, Havant and the Isle of Wight will form the foundations for this Solent Stands Together scheme, which will run over the course of 18 months.

This funding is part of a total of more than £1.3m that has been awarded to the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner to support initiatives in Hampshire and on the Isle of Wight, with cash being spent to reduce the risk of sexual coercion, harassment and assault, stalking, drug abuse, anti-social behaviour and more.

Deputy police and crime commissioner Terry Norton said: ‘Donna Jones and I really pleased to be supporting the Solent Stands Together bid to reduce violence against women and girls and related anti-social behaviour across the five local authority areas.

‘The money will go towards a clear and co-ordinated effort to make areas safer for women and girls, eradicate ‘no go’ areas and ensure anti-social behaviour is dealt with.

‘These are two key parts of the commissioner’s police and crime plan, and being awarded this money to support local projects means we are delivering on our promises to prevent crime and make the streets safer.

‘Providing community interventions, education and equipment to improve safety alongside the work of the police is vital for finding long-term solutions to crime reduction.’

To successfully carry out this operation, the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner has been examining crime data, community safety surveys and taking feedback from community safety partnerships and groups dedicated to tackling violence against women and girls.

Cllr Jason Fazackarley, Portsmouth City Council's cabinet member for safety in the community, added: ‘We are delighted to be part on another successful bid to tackle sexual violence across the region, in particular crimes affecting women and girls.

‘We look forward to sharing the great work we have already been doing in Portsmouth with other authorities as well as delivering even more training and workshops in the city on this important issue.’