Suffolk Police to get nearly £300,000 to tackle serious violence across county
It's part of a £12.4m package of government support
Suffolk Police is set to receive nearly £300,000 to tackle serious violence across the county.
The funding is part of a £12.4m package to deliver the Government-introduced legislation for Serious Violence Duty.
Announced last year, the legislation ensures different services share information, collaborate, and plan to prevent and reduce serious violence within their communities.
Det Supt Nicky Wallace said: “Crimes involving violence against the person constitute a wide range of offences, ranging from the very minor through to those that are very serious.
“But violence in any form is unacceptable and officers will investigate any reports we receive.”
This comes as instances of violent crimes continue to increase across England.
According to the ONS, the police recorded 2.1 million instances of violence against the person offences in the year leading up to March 2022 — this is an increase of 18 per cent compared to 1.8 million in March 2021, and 1.4 million in 2018 before the pandemic.
Suffolk’s crime statistics have performed well against the rest of England, but ONS figures still revealed an increase of around 9 per cent in violent crimes between April 2022 and March 2023.
Tim Passmore, the Police and Crime Commissioner for Suffolk, has reiterated his commitment to put central funding to good use.
He said: “Fortunately, Suffolk remains a safe county but everything possible must be done to prevent violence which is never acceptable and bring offenders to justice.
“This approach will build on successful programmes already introduced in the county such as Safety of Women and Girls at Night and the criminal exploitation hub combatting county lines.”
This funding will help the police deal with these violent crimes and identify the motives behind them to further drive down figures in the future.
Det Supt Wallace added: “We work tirelessly to combat serious violence, but those incidents involving knives are as much a cultural issue as criminal.
“Collectively, we are absolutely committed to preventing serious violence, pursuing perpetrators, supporting victims and continuing to strengthen our response to ensure the safety of our communities.”