THE West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner is offering local groups up to £5,000 each to help reduce crime in their areas.
The Active Citizens’ Fund has been relaunched this week with £180,000 on offer.
It is made up from money which has been seized from criminals under the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) and is used to allow communities to invest in their neighbourhoods to improve safety.
This money, which changes each year dependent on seizures, cannot be spent on police officers.
During the pandemic, POCA money like this has been distributed under the Community Initiatives Fund.
The purpose of the Active Citizens’ Fund is to support local communities who are actively involved in projects which aim to make a positive difference to them and which make the West Midlands a safer place to live and work.
All funded projects must contribute to crime prevention or community safety in one of the force’s ‘impact areas’, including Coventry Hillfields, Wood End and Bell Green and Solihull Chelmsley town and Smithswood.
All bids to be submitted by midday on Friday, September 17, 2021 and decisions will be informed by local panels comprising local community representatives and West Midlands Police by September 30, 2021 before being approved by the PCC.
Launching the fund, Assistant Police and Crime Commissioner, Wasim Ali said: “The Active Citizens’ Fund will help to support communities.
“I would encourage groups from across these areas to apply for funding, I want to be able to support a range of organisations doing all sorts of work with this money.
“This is money that we’ve taken away from criminals and are ploughing back into communities and into projects which are making a real difference to improve neighbourhoods and reduce crime.”
For more information, visit: https://www.westmidlands-pcc.gov.uk/active-citizens-fund/
