£4m of extra investment secured for victim support services & crime prevention initiatives

The PCC is today marking bringing £4m of new funding into the region to help cut crime and provide greater support for vulnerable victims.

Emily Spurrell has secured all the additional investment since taking office in May 2021.

It includes £1.2m of funding to invest in new specialist advisors supporting survivors of domestic abuse and sexual violence, as well as funding for dedicated support services to provide life-changing practical and emotional support.

This money has helped to increase capacity, reduce waiting lists and ensure more remote support is available for victims. It has also provided a vital lifeline for several small community-based projects who have struggled to cope with demand, particularly with demand surging due to Covid-19.

The investment also includes £600,000 for three domestic abuse perpetrator programmes designed to challenge offending behaviour and protect families which are at risk, including the first ever project working with young people who abuse their parents or carers.

The new funding also includes nearly £1.1m of Safer Streets funding to crackdown on crime in hotspot areas and make the streets of Liverpool and Wirral safer. This includes funding specifically to improve women’s feelings of safety on the transport network.

The Commissioner has secured this money while repeatedly lobbying ministers to rethink the way they provide funding for these vital services – urging them to provide long-term sustainable funding to enable essential support services to plan for the future.

Merseyside’s Police Commissioner Emily Spurrell said: “When I was elected I promised to fight for greater investment for our region. I’m proud that since taking office, I have been able to secure £4m of much-needed extra funding for Merseyside.

“This investment is going where it is most needed – into vital support services for survivors of domestic abuse and sexual violence. It’s helping to secure the future of some of our fantastic local services who have really struggled to cope with the increased demand caused by the pandemic. It’s also being concentrated on tackling crime in hotspots areas which have really suffered in recent years.

“Our region has been neglected for far too long. I promised to be a loud voice on behalf of Merseyside, and I will continue to lobby Ministers at every opportunity I get to give us more funding and to give it in a better way.

“Ad hoc ‘crisis’ pots are not the right way to fund essential support services. They deserve robust, multi-year funding packages so they can offer sustainable support for vulnerable victims.

“This is what I will continue to fight for to help build a safer, stronger Merseyside where everyone can thrive.”