Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what additional support her Department recommends local police forces provide to ensure that women can access high quality support during the night time economy in their locality.

This Government is committed to protecting all victims of violence against women and girls (VAWG) and is working in partnership with police forces across England and Wales to keep victims safe.

Since October 2021, £30 million has been invested for projects with a focus on protecting women in their communities through Round Three of the Safer Streets Fund and the pilot Safety of Women at Night Fund.

An additional £50 million for 111 projects has been invested through Round Four of the Safer Streets Fund, which has a focus on tackling violence against women and girls in public places, as well as neighbourhood crime and anti-social behaviour.

To support delivery of our commitments set out in the Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy, we have supported the introduction of a full-time National Policing Lead for Violence Against Women and Girls, DCC Maggie Blyth, who has been in post since November 2021 and has been working closely with Government to coordinate the policing response to VAWG crimes.