13 December 2021 PCC awards £73.6k to support crime reduction in the county Tim Passmore, Suffolk’s Police and Crime Commissioner has announced the successful recipients of the latest wave of his PCC Fund grants. Five local organisations will share over £73k to fund various projects which contribute to reducing crime and disorder in the county or help victims or witnesses. Tim Passmore said, “Commissioning services to support the work of the Constabulary is an important element of my role as Police and Crime Commissioner. “I am absolutely delighted to be able to support these five local organisations in their valuable work. We rely very heavily on the support of voluntary and community organisations and we are indebted to them for their commitment and enthusiasm. “I truly believe that without the support of organisations such as these we would be a much poorer society.” The Green Light Trust received £18,297 to fund the continuation of their women’s programme. This nature-based work engages women who have been victims of crime, abuse and/or trauma to help them move forwards in life. This funding will help address the current waiting list of 22 and support a total of 24 women. The programme works across Bury St Edmunds, Sudbury, Ipswich, Woodbridge, Felixstowe, Saxmundham and surrounding villages. The Ipswich BMX Club has been awarded £1,505 towards the cost of a safety fence around the new club’s new BMX track. The club is located in the Gainsborough area of Ipswich, an area with minimal outdoor opportunities. The aspiration is that the new track will help reduce anti-social behaviour and minimise gang activity in the area by providing an alternative activity for young people. RFEA, the Forces employment charity, received £20,000 to help fund the Project Nova programme for veterans in Suffolk. This early intervention programme aims to reduce reoffending by working in partnership with police to engage with veterans at arrest and provide practical and emotional support to enable veterans to change their lives. This funding will support 60 beneficiaries. Suffolk Mind received £13,800 towards ‘Health Minds Counselling’ and ‘Your Needs Met’ training. This counselling and training for vulnerable adults with poor mental health helps them manage their anger and anxiety following the effects of crime. Six initial sessions of counselling followed by a group training session provides beneficiaries with the tools to sustain and improve their emotional health and wellbeing. This funding will address the current waiting list of 37 and support a total of 40 beneficiaries. Suffolk Refugee Support, based in Ipswich, received £20,000 to support work around crime prevention and safety of vulnerable people, particularly young people, women and families and online crime. The prevention work involves raising awareness of how to prevent crime, reduce crime and improve road safety, the law, and how to protect themselves from gangs, drug misuse and online crimes and harms. This work will be co-produced with Suffolk Constabulary and Suffolk County Council and this funding will support 150 beneficiaries. The Grant panel, which considers applications, includes a representative of the PCC’s executive team, a representative from Suffolk Community Foundation and Chairs of the local Community Safety Partnerships. The Panel is chaired by the PCC who is responsible for final determination of each award.