More than £1 million is being invested in West Midlands projects to combat issues including domestic abuse and modern slavery. Police and Crime Commissioner Simon Foster announced that £1.4 million will be distributed to 66 schemes through Community Safety Partnerships across Birmingham, Coventry, Dudley, Sandwell, Solihull, Walsall, and Wolverhampton.
Mr Foster stated that the funding aims to address crime, disorder, anti-social behaviour, and re-offending. Birmingham will receive over £613,000 for nine key initiatives, including £185,000 to investigate domestic abuse-related deaths and £115,953 to tackle modern slavery. Additional funds will support city centre anti-social behaviour officers and efforts against serious organised crime and violence against women and girls.
Coventry will receive more than £153,000 for community-led projects such as £36,000 for Community Wardens, domestic abuse perpetrator mentoring, and youth engagement programmes. Sandwell also gets £153,000, including £55,000 for a dedicated anti-social behaviour officer and mentoring to steer young people away from crime.
Wolverhampton's £139,362 allocation focuses on youth violence prevention, community cohesion, and anti-social behaviour initiatives, plus domestic homicide reviews. Dudley, Walsall, and Solihull will fund youth justice mentoring, neighbourhood safety, and interventions addressing vulnerability and exploitation.
Community Safety Partnerships bring together police, local authorities, health services, and other organisations to deliver coordinated responses. Mr Foster said: "Keeping our communities safe and secure is my absolute priority. This £1.4 million investment is about delivering real, tangible action and outcomes – supporting projects that prevent and tackle crime and anti-social behaviour and reduce re-offending across the West Midlands."
He added: "By working in partnership through our Community Safety Partnerships, we are ensuring that resources are targeted where they will have the greatest impact – protecting the most vulnerable, supporting victims and addressing the root causes of crime. This funding will help ensure that people, families, businesses and local communities are safe, so that everyone in our region is able to flourish and thrive."
