Savings help police tsar launch £1.5m anti-crime fund

Humberside police commissioner Matthew Grove is inviting local groups across East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire to submit bids for projects to aid crime reduction as part of a four-year funding scheme.

The money has been generated from savings he has made in the running of his office since he replaced the former police authority in November 2012, and from the sale of office building, Pacific Exchange, to Hull City Council.

Mr Grove said: “There is still a perception among some members of the public that police and crime commissioners have been an extra cost to the taxpayer, but the fact is I replaced the much more expensive police authority and this fund will put public money back where it belongs, in communities.

“When I was elected I made a promise to sell the office building in Hull that I inherited from the police authority and use the proceeds to make money available to local groups to support their ideas to tackle local crime and community safety issues.

“Since becoming commissioner in 2012 I have also made significant savings in the running costs of my office, and have set money aside and allocated a permanent annual budget to create the Commissioner’s Crime Reduction Fund.

“Using these resources I can make money available every year to support local people through a range of options to assist communities to help me deliver the outcomes in my Police and Crime Plan.

“I estimate that over £1.5m will be available over the next four years to support applications from local organisations, particularly from voluntary and community groups.”