£1.4m of funding allocated to tackle anti-social behaviour in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland

"We will not stop until every person, no matter where they live, can feel safe and proud of their community."

Rupert Matthews, Police and Crime Commissioner for Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland, has welcomed a funding injection of £1,473,113 to tackle anti-social behaviour (ASB) and serious violence across the force area.

The money has been granted by the government for 2024/25 to deliver hot-spot responses to ASB and Serious Violence. 

Rupert Matthews said: “People tell me constantly that they are concerned about anti-social behaviour and I understand their feelings of both fear and frustration.  That’s why I made tackling ASB a priority in my Police and Crime Plan.  A lot of progress has been made since then by both the force and our partners.   Recent figures show that in the last year ASB has reduced by over 11%.

“But this money will enable us to deliver even more.  Since I was elected, I have lobbied the government for additional funding and, while this still falls short of the £5.4m savings that we need to find in the next year, it’s clear that my pleas have been heard. 

“I believe that we should show zero tolerance to ASB.  It’s not a trivial matter.  We must be relentless in our approach to deliver the service our residents deserve and rightfully expect.

“This funding will boost my ongoing drive to prevent crime and ensure that swift and robust action is taken to protect our communities from ASB.”

A team is working on the details and work is expected to get underway in April.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said: "Anti-social behaviour destroys communities and takes away the public’s right to feel safe in the place they call home.

"Our plan to cut crime on our streets is working, with neighbourhood crime, including robbery and theft, almost halved, and we must stick with it.

"We will not stop until every person, no matter where they live, can feel safe and proud of their community. That is why we are investing in every police force in England and Wales so they can tackle violence and disorder head on."