HAMPSHIRE’S police and crime commissioner is offering community organisations the chance to bid for funding for projects and services that will help keep their communities safer.

The Safer Communities Fund was established to provide financial support for organisations that work with victims of crime and to help reduce offending.

Commissioner Michael Lane said: “To keep our communities safer we must look beyond policing. It is key that we seek to understand and address the contributing factors as to why individuals choose, or feel the need, to perpetrate crime or anti-social behaviour.

"To prevent crime, we must also help those who are most vulnerable to protect themselves.

“A core part of my work is to ensure the right support is available for the victims of crime. The journey each victim takes, and the support they need as an individual, will be very different.”

Mr Lane added: “There are hundreds of voluntary organisations, from small and local to large and national, working to help keep us safer.

“These vital services provide a lifeline for the people they work with and additionally support frontline policing by helping prevent people from taking the wrong path or being increasingly vulnerable. I hope to hear from many as part of this latest funding round.”

Information about the funding process, including guidelines on how to apply, is available at hampshire-pcc.gov.uk/funding. Applications are open until noon on November 8. The maximum amount of funding that can be applied for per application is £50,000.