Any Atherstone residents who have ideas for projects aiming to boost safety in the community are now invited to bid for a share of the Police and Crime Commissioner's annual grants scheme funding.

The Commissioner's Grants Scheme is an annual award which seeks to support initiatives which will make a positive contribution to the objectives of the Police and Crime Plan.

This will be the fifth year that Philip Seccombe has made the funding available, with well over £5 million distributed to community initiatives in that time.

This is in addition to the £1.2 million of commissioned services that the Commissioner also funds each year to provide support services for victims of crime, domestic abuse, sexual abuse and child exploitation, as well as drug and alcohol interventions.

For the 2021/22 Commissioner's Grants Scheme, applications are being sought from private, public and third sector organisations for non-profit projects covering a range of different categories:

- Domestic abuse victims' support;

- Reducing reoffending schemes;

- Sports, youth diversion and youth justice;

- Small grants fund. Organisations are able to submit multiple bids to any of the schemes. Each application will be evaluated separately. Projects funded by the PCC's office under the grants scheme run for 12 months or less during the course of the financial year. Opening the application process, Mr Seccombe said: "During my time as Police and Crime Commissioner I have been keen to ensure that projects which support the ambitions of my Police and Crime Plan and help make Warwickshire a safer, more secure county get the funding they need to carry out their work. "I've funded schemes which help reduce re-offending, support victims of crime and some of the most vulnerable in society, as well as initiatives which are designed to help communities prevent crime and also provide diversionary activities for young people. "All of this combined helps support the work that Warwickshire Police does, by reducing the pressures on frontline policing, helping to reduce crime and, perhaps most importantly of all, assisting the force's ambition protect the most vulnerable from harm. "For the financial year ahead I want to ensure similar funding remains available and I I hope to get a good response from projects across the county. "As in previous years, demand may outstrip the funding available but my office will do the very best it can to make the grants funding support as many as possible, while ensuring that every penny achieves best value for the Warwickshire public." "I look forward to seeing the bids coming in across the next month." The closing date for applications is 6pm on 31 January, 2020. For full details about the Commissioner's Grants Scheme and how to apply, click here.