Communities get crime cash boost

About £250,000 seized from criminals will be ploughed back into communities to help tackle gun and knife crime, the home office announced today.

It is the second wave of the Connected Fund scheme set up by the government last year to reinvest criminals’ assets back into local projects.

The money will be made available to groups working in the areas worst affected by gun and knife crime, and in particular will go towards sport and music activities and schemes designed to help young people break away from gang culture.

Home office minister Hazel Blears said today: “Seizing criminals’ ill-gotten gains and ploughing the proceeds straight back into communities and crime-busting local projects is part of the government’s drive to rebalance the criminal justice system in favour of victims and communities, and to refocus the system on its basic purpose – to cut crime.”