Annual Report

Policing and Crime Annual Report 2022/23

I am pleased to share with you the Mayoral Combined Authority Policing and Crime Annual Report 22/23.

As Mayor I hold lots of responsibilities across our region, for culture, transport, the economy, and for policing and crime, supported by my wonderful Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime, Alison Lowe.

You all will be aware that the safety of women and girls is a topic that is extremely close to our hearts, professionally, and personally as women with lived experience of violence. As the country’s only female-metro mayor, I want to keep each and every one of our region’s 1.2 million women and girls safe.

This aim remains at the heart of the work we all do. It is one of my key pledges when I was elected and is embedded throughout my Police and Crime Plan. Continuing this work, in November we
launched our innovative Safety of Women and Girls Strategy, our plan to bring together long term,
sustainable change for our region.

This year has also seen the connection across with my other responsibilities with the launch of
the Bus Safety Tool which helps us to understand where people do not feel safe on the bus network, and this will link into an enhanced safer travel team. Our safer parks work continues to grow and is now being taken up across the country.

Another intervention I am particularly passionate about is the launch of the first county-wide service to support victims of domestic abuse related stalking. The launch of the West Yorkshire Independent Stalking Advocate Service will see a step change for victims of this heinous crime.

We have also seen great strides forward elsewhere by appointing staff to work with our partners on the Vision Zero project and, through our work with the Local Criminal Justice Board, to ensure that victims of crime are kept at the forefront of work going forward.

My Safer Communities Fund goes from strength to strength, and I was proud to award over £1million to 173 grass roots projects which will support all areas of our wonderful region. The testimonies of the impact of these monies is evidence of the difference this fund is making, and I look forward to continuing this in the future.

We have worked hard to bring as much money into the area as possible and this is reflected in the work of the commissioning team with the new strategy that pledges to commission safe, just and inclusive community-based schemes. One of the funding streams is ‘Safer Streets’ which we have been able to use to help keep people safe in the night-time economy and also support victims of anti-social behaviour – especially from those who have terrorised neighbourhoods with their use of motorcycles and quad bikes.

I would also like to highlight here the work of the Violence Reduction Unit. The Violence Reduction Unit has since been renamed the Violence Reduction Partnership (V R P) in July 2023 which better reflects the partnership work of the unit. More of the detail of their work can be found on the Combined Authority website. This year has also seen the introduction of the Serious Violence Duty for all of our partners and the VRP have been key to driving this forward for the benefit of all in West Yorkshire.

As ever, we want to inspire partners in public, health, community, and academic sectors, all of whom have a role to play in building a safe, just, and inclusive West Yorkshire, and I hope you can see from this annual report that we are leading the way for them.

Annual Report

Policing and Crime Annual Report 2022/23

Previous Annual Reports