Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his Department is taking to tackle street crime against women and girls in Mid Bedfordshire constituency.

This government is committed to tackling street crime and violence against women and girls. We have made significant progress and delivered a number of key commitments to help ensure women and girls are safe everywhere - at home, online, at work and in public spaces.

This includes interventions delivered through the Safer Streets Fund, established in 2020. Through four rounds of the Fund, we have invested £120m in 270 projects, and an additional £5m in 22 projects through the Safety of Women at Night Fund.

Bedfordshire has received £2.8million of investment through all four rounds of the Safer Streets Fund. On 6 July we announced the launch of the fifth round of the Safer Streets Fund, with millions of additional funding for Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) over the 2023/24 and 2024/25 financial years Funding is aimed at preventing crime, increase feelings of safety through measures such as improved street lighting and CCTV and educational campaigns to change behaviours and attitudes.