He joined staff and partners alongside local police and officers from the Economic Crime Unit to discuss and see first-hand the difference the Community Youth Project at Bacup Family Centre is making. The project is backed by local businesses, police, youth services and elected representatives amongst others in order to help tackle anti-social behaviour in the area and address issues at the root cause.
The project received £10k of funding from Andrew’s Safer Lancashire Neighbourhoods Fund in order to help get the youth centre off the ground and to build on the successful work they are already doing. The funding will allow the project to set up into a dedicated youth centre for Bacup, providing a space where young people can feel safe and engage positively in the community.
The fund, established in 2021 during the unveiling of the Commissioner’s Police and Crime Plan, uses cash seized by criminals through the Proceeds of Crime act to fund community projects that help tackle his five key priorities.
Andrew Snowden, Police and Crime Commissioner for Lancashire said:
“It’s been really positive to hear how this project is having an impact on the residents of Bacup and how it is already impacting rates of ASB in the area. Seeing a community come together with the help of police and partners to tackle an issue and create a sustainable solution is exactly the kind of thing I want to fund with my Safer Lancashire Neighbourhoods Fund.
“Projects like this engage young people in the community and strengthen their connection to it, build relationships with the local policing team and help young people avoid getting involved in anti-social behaviour or other types of crime.
“As always when I help fund projects like this through the Safer Lancashire Neighbourhood Fund, there is always a poetic irony in using cash seized from criminals and pumping it back into the community they once exploited, helping us fund projects that address root causes of crimes bettering the lives of those in the community.”
