More than £300,000 has been secured to fund community safety and youth support schemes in Barking and Dagenham.
Barking and Dagenham Council will use the funding for targeted projects focused on prevention, early intervention and support, with more than £307,000 invested in programmes to reduce violence and robbery and to help residents feel safer in their communities.
Cllr Syed Ghani, cabinet member for enforcement and community safety, said: “This investment is a significant boost for Barking and Dagenham and will help us continue our work to support young people and build safer communities. Prevention is key.”
“By investing in mentoring, outreach, education and early intervention, we can help young people access positive opportunities, build resilience and make informed choices about their futures.”
The funding includes £111,259 from the Knife Crime Concentration Fund (Operation Poros) to support multi-agency working, address issues in identified hotspots and deliver community-focused interventions.
An additional £53,000 will fund a one-year Schools Connect pilot to help schools respond to safeguarding concerns and online harms, providing young people with advice, support and education to stay safe both online and offline.
A further £142,857 from the Violence Reduction Unit’s Robbery Fund will support two years of work on robbery prevention, education programmes, mentoring and detached youth outreach.
Biju Premnath, superintendent and lead for neighbourhood policing, said: “This funding is a welcome investment in the safety of our communities and will help us build on the positive progress being made across Barking and Dagenham.”
The funding supports ongoing efforts to improve community safety in the borough, including increased police patrols in Barking Town Centre and enhanced CCTV coverage. Recent data shows knife crime in the borough fell by nearly nine per cent between July 2025 and July 2026.
A community engagement event marking the funding announcement was held as part of the council’s It Starts Here campaign, which aims to build public confidence and challenge perceptions around crime. More than 300 residents attended the event, which featured emergency service vehicles, activities and opportunities to speak directly with teams from community safety, environmental enforcement and more.
It follows other recent safety incidents in the borough, including armed police and ambulances being called to Church Elm Lane in Dagenham and Station Parade in Barking being closed after a police incident.
