First 100 days as Police & Crime Commissioner
Matthew Barber has reflected on his first 100 days since being elected as Police and Crime Commissioner for Thames Valley. In this short video he discusses:
- Launching his Police & Criminal Justice Plan
- Police officer recruitment
- Meeting with victims of crime and partner organisations
- Spending time on the frontline with police officers to understand the challenges they face
Additional £166,000 funding secured for victims of domestic abuse and sexual violence
Police and Crime Commissioner Matthew Barber has awarded an additional £166,937 Ministry of Justice funding to organisations supporting victims of domestic abuse and sexual violence.
The Ministry of Justice Critical Support Fund encompasses support for domestic abuse and sexual violence community organisations and provision of Independent Sexual Violence and Domestic Abuse Advisors (ISVA/IDVA). The fund is aimed at supporting organisations in greatest need across England and Wales. Four organisations in the Thames Valley have been awarded funding.
Matthew Barber, Police and Crime Commissioner said “I am committed to supporting victims of crime across the Thames Valley. I have welcomed the government funding opportunities over the last year to support organisations working with victims of domestic abuse and sexual violence but also know that some organisations continue to struggle following the impact of the pandemic and the subsequent increase in victims requiring support.
“I am pleased this additional funding aims to support those organisations in most need and that I’ve been able to secure funding for four organisations in the Thames Valley; helping them to continue to provide core services for victims of domestic abuse and sexual violence.”
Join Thames Valley Police to help keep our communities safe
There are now more police officers in Thames Valley than ever before and the next round of recruitment is under way! You can register your interest and apply to become a police officer online now by clicking here.
Policing is a hugely challenging and testing career, but it can also be immensely fulfilling. Joining the policing family, new officers will develop their skills and resilience and play their part in upholding the law and keeping the public safe.
In addition to joining as a police constable, there are a wide range of other roles in which you can serve with Thames Valley Police. For more information visit www.tvpcareers.co.uk.
Additional £800,000 to fund youth intervention “teachable moment” programmes in Oxfordshire
The Government has confirmed that a bid for an additional £800,000 to fund youth intervention programmes in Oxfordshire has been secured by the Thames Valley Violence Reduction Unit.
The award was announced this month following the publication of the Government’s “Beating Crime” plan, with £17m allocated to schemes nationally, drawn from the Serious Violence Fund which supports initiatives to tackle knife crime and youth violence.
The Thames Valley Violence Reduction Unit had applied to the “Teachable Moments” grant scheme, which funds intervention initiatives built around the concept of teachable moments; particular points when a young person is more receptive to support to help them to change their behaviours and steer clear of crime. It will be used to create new “Navigator” roles, working across hospitals, police custody and in the wider community, providing support and sign-posting for young people at risk of being involved in violence.
The VRU will now work with the Safer Oxfordshire Partnership, which coordinates community safety activity across the county of Oxfordshire, to develop more detailed proposals as to how the funding will be used, including inviting local voluntary sector organisations to apply to deliver initiatives, via a VRU-led tendering process.
Teachable moment initiatives use a particular moment such as an admission to hospital, an arrest or being taken into police custody. These moments create a position where a person may be more reflective, considering what has led them to be admitted and can be more open to discussing how they could change their lives to be safer and more positive.
An example of such a scheme already in place is the VRU-funded Hospital Navigator programme, which launched recently at the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading and with a further four sites across the region launching in coming months. Hospital Navigators are trained volunteers, working within the Emergency Departments. When a young person is admitted in circumstances linked to risky behaviours, such as violence, drink, drugs or self-harm and mental health problems, their clinician can refer them to speak with a Navigator if they wish, who offers a listening ear and can help discuss the circumstances which led to their admission, offer support such as access to mentoring or signposts them to local services and help with employment and education.
Matthew Barber, Police & Crime Commissioner for Thames Valley, said: “This latest Government funding is aligned with my own priority to tackle serious violence and knife crime here in the Thames Valley. It will enable our partners in Oxfordshire to develop further innovative approaches, offering earlier intervention and support. While alongside, we continue to deliver a firm policing response to those who continue to carry weapons or engage in violence.
“We hope to use Oxfordshire to develop some early best-practice which we can then look to roll-out elsewhere across the force. Importantly, we will seek to fund those voluntary sector bodies working in our local area to deliver these new services, further building their own capacity for now and the future.”
