Sefton Council

More than 11,300 young people will benefit from projects which will keep them away from dangerous activities this Halloween and Bonfire Night, thanks to funding raised by the police from the sale of stolen goods.

Four projects to benefit are in Sefton, who will take a slice of £45,000 worth of funding designed to divert young people away from getting involved in anti-social or criminal behaviour during the autumn half term.

Jane Kennedy has awarded the grants from her Police Property Act (PPA) Fund, which puts money raised through the sale of unclaimed stolen goods or property recovered by the police that cannot be returned to its owners into worthwhile causes.

This is the fourth year the Commissioner has focussed the funding on keeping communities safe during one of the busiest times of the year for the police. The successful organisations from this round of funding will run a host of projects during the school half-term holidays with the aim of keeping a total of 11,331 young people engaged in safe and supervised activities.

Jane said:

“Halloween and Bonfire Night are a time of great fun and enjoyment for many people across Merseyside.

“Sadly, though it is also a time when sometimes the fun can get out of hand and lead to young people getting involved in behaviour which can become intimidating, anti-social or even dangerous to other members of the community.

“Traditionally, this means it is often a very busy period for both Merseyside Police and Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service.

“By funding these youth projects across Merseyside, my aim is to help thousands of young people enjoy the festivities in a safe and enjoyable way at organised and well managed events. This will help to ensure they don’t get involved in any activities that could either put them in danger or that they may regret in the future.

“This will also help to relieve the strain on our emergency services during this critical period, complementing the excellent diversionary work the police and fire service already carry out and making sure people can enjoy the celebrations during the holiday season.

“For this year’s successful organisations, even a small cash boost can make a huge difference and will enable them to run some fantastic grassroots projects which really engage with young people’s imaginations while keeping them safe.”

14 organisations in Liverpool and five initiatives on the Wirral have been awarded funding, with four initiatives in Sefton, two in Knowsley and one in St Helens all benefitting. Much of the funding was focused in ‘hotspot’ areas where communities have been identified as most susceptible to threat and risk.