18 projects to prevent crime and boost community safety across Victoria have received a share in more than $4.9 million in funding. This is through a second round of Building Safer Communities grants. The grants support locally driven projects to improve community safety.
2 of the grant streams under the Building Safer Communities program are:
- Creating Safer Places grants, and
- Crime Prevention Innovation Fund.
Each provide up to $300,000 to:
- councils
- not-for-profit community organisations, and
- other specialist organisations across Victoria.
6 projects across Melbourne and south-west Victoria received Creating Safer Places grants. The projects help prevent crime by creating inclusive environments and safer public places. This can include upgrades and security installations to public places, such as new lighting and CCTV.
12 projects across Melbourne and regional Victoria received Crime Prevention Innovation Fund grants. The funding is to support councils and not-for-profit organisations to deliver and test innovative community safety and crime prevention initiatives.
La Trobe University's Preventing Drink Spiking Project is one of the 18 projects that will share in the funding. The initiative will focus on tackling the issue in the Bendigo area and across Victoria.
La Trobe University’s School of Rural Health, is leading the initiative. They aim to:
- conduct much-needed research into the issue of drink spiking
- develop a digital platform to share victim-survivors’ stories, information, and resources, and
- investigate the link between drink spiking and sexual assault, as well as related issues such as needle spiking.
The grants build on the more than $4 million awarded across 16 projects from the 2020-21 round one stream.
These programs are a cornerstone of the government’s Crime Prevention Strategy. The Strategy sets out a long-term approach to addressing the root causes of crime and building safer communities across Victoria.
Read more about the Building Safer Communities program.