The grant, from the Home Office’s “Safer Streets” fund, will help pay for a new team including four Public Protection “VAWG wardens”, and a dedicated VAWG operative within Lambeth’s CCTV control room.
Lambeth will also share £135,245 to pay for VAWG awareness training for staff and businesses in the borough and nearby Southwark.
The package will be paid for with a £497,160 grant awarded to Lambeth Council, in partnership with Southwark Council, through the £50m fourth round of the Safer Streets Fund.
The Fund, launched in 2020, offered councils and Police & Crime Commissioners the chance to apply for funding for crime prevention plans. The latest round targeted neighbourhood crime, VAWG and anti-social behaviour, in areas disproportionately and persistently impacted by these types of crime.
Lambeth and Southwark drew up their joint bid after crime data mapping showed a clear need to improve safety and partnership working along the borders between the two boroughs, particularly in relation to VAWG offending.
Cllr Mahamed Hashi, Lambeth Cabinet Member for Safer Communities, said: “It is completely unacceptable for women to feel unsafe in their own homes or on the streets of our borough, and we have worked hard over many years to tackle the scourge of VAWG. But we are always striving to do more – to raise awareness of this crime, to support the women and girls affected by it, and to prevent it.
“This funding is a welcome boost to our work in this vital area, and it shows the Home Office has confidence in what we are doing. It will enable us to increase identification of VAWG offenders, increase reporting of VAWG incidents, and cut down on other street-based offences.”
The work funded by the Safer Streets grant includes:
- £262,741 for the creation of a high-visibility, mobile Lambeth Public Protection Specialist Services Team with five new posts, including a Co-ordinator and four Public Protection VAWG and anti-social behaviour (ASB) wardens.
- £69,174 for a dedicated VAWG operative within Lambeth CCTV control room to increase understanding of VAWG risks, improve identification of perpetrators of VAWG offences, and improve information sharing and partnership working with Southwark counterparts and police.
- £50,000 for specialist VAWG training to street wardens/private security in identified hotspots in Lambeth and Southwark.
- £85,245 to help the Safer Business Network create training for late-night businesses such as hotels, shops, theatres, and cafes in hotspot areas in both boroughs, to create ‘Safe Havens’ where women can access safety and support.
Lambeth’s bid was put together through a group including representatives from across the council, Police, Business Improvement Districts (BIDs), and local community organisations including Black Thrive, our community-based specialist VAWG service the Gaia Centre and Lambeth Anti-Harassment Campaign. The group reviewed existing work to identify gaps and analysed available data and resident feedback to develop a bid proposal.
Lambeth Council is the lead organisation for the partnership bid, with Southwark Council and the Mayor’s Office for Policing And Crime (MOPAC). The project will include specialist input from Good Night Out Campaign, Safer Business Network, Police, BIDs, and specialist VAWG support services. The VAWG team will work in partnership with Public Protection to lead on coordination between partners and lead on Home Office grant management and reporting, coordination of bid mobilisation, impact monitoring and evaluation.
If you are a Lambeth resident and are impacted by any form of gender-based violence you can access free, non-judgmental practical and emotional support from the Gaia Centre . Tel: 020 7733 8724 or email lambethvawg@refuge.org.uk
We’d like to hear from women and girls who use our public spaces in Lambeth. Tell us where you feel unsafe so we can install CCTV, lighting and take other action: https://lambethsaferstreets.commonplace.is/.
To find out more about how we will tackle VAWG in Lambeth, read our Lambeth Made Safer VAWG Strategy 2021-2027 and watch our Ending VAWG animation.
