£4 million pledged to tackle violence in the North East
Written by Finlay Horsfall on 31st March 2025
The government has given the green light for a further £4million investment to tackle anti-social behaviour and violence across the North East.
This funding will support ‘robust targeted policing’ and early intervention initiatives to help tackle anti-social behaviour and serious violence.
Susan Dungworth, Northumbria’s Police and Crime Commissioner, welcomed the news that funding has been secured for two of the region’s key crime prevention initiatives – Northumbria’s Violence Reduction Unit and Project Shield.
She said: “It is great that we have a government that is giving financial backing to two key approaches.
“There is no single solution to stopping things like ASB and serious violence but combining a range of approaches certainly helps.
“People want to see more patrols to support communities and deter crime.
“I have set out a clear plan for delivering safer streets and stronger communities and I very much see Project Shield and the work of the Violence Reduction Unit playing a valuable role in this.”
Northumbria’s Police and Crime Commissioner, Susan Dungworth with officers. Photo credit: Northumbria Police
The funding has been split up into £1.8million through The Hotspot Action Fund, which will allow Project Shield to continue providing increased patrols.
Then a further £2.2million has been secured for Northumbria’s Violence Reduction Unit, as part of the government’s Safer Streets Mission. This will allow the Unit to continue building on its preventative work in tackling the causes of serious violence.
Assistant Chief Constable Andy Hill, of Northumbria Police, said the latest figures were showing that Project Shield was having a “significant impact in addressing these issues.”
He added: “We are confident that this latest announcement confirming additional funding will help us to further drive down ASB and serious violence in our region, getting more weapons seized, locating more known offenders and engaging further with the public we serve.”
