Funding totalling almost £84,000 is being awarded to ten applications who applied in the first round of the Commissioner’s Emerging Needs Fund.
One recipient is a weekly youth club in Micheldever run by Winchester Street Reach, which has been awarded more than £4,500 to help raise the confidence levels of vulnerable and disengaged young people and steer them away from offending behaviour.
Chief executive Ben Martin said: “This funding from the Police and Crime Commissioner will allow us to run sessions for young people at Micheldever Youth Club throughout the year, providing opportunities and youth worker support to young people and their families in this rural location.
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“The focus will be around helping young people to keep safe, grow in confidence, and to make positive choices for their future. We’re thrilled about this funding which means so much to our charity.”
Other successful applications include re-deployable Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras to target rural crime hotspots, thermal imaging equipment for police dog units, a recruitment drive for more volunteers to join Mounted Rural Patrol, improved rural lighting for Elvetham Heath Parish Council, replacement ANPR cameras in Beaulieu and security camera equipment for Northwood Parish Council on the Isle of Wight.
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Ms Jones said: “I’m really pleased to be supporting services that will help make rural communities safer and complement the existing initiatives and providers who are already tirelessly working to combat crime in the large rural areas that we have here in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.
“Efficient policing and crime detection present their own challenges as 85 per cent of the two counties is rural, countryside communities are more frequently becoming victims of serious and organised crime, and rural crime can often go unreported.“Tackling rural crime will always be a key priority for me as your Police Commissioner, and these successful funding projects will add to the fight to counteract against these countryside criminals who are intent on destroying livelihoods.”
