More than £307,000 will be invested in Barking and Dagenham for projects designed to support young people, prevent violence and robbery, and help residents feel safer in their communities.
The funding will be used to deliver a range of targeted projects focused on prevention, early intervention and support. This includes £111,259 through the Knife Crime Concentration Fund (Operation Poros) to strengthen multi-agency working, tackle issues in identified hotspots and deliver local interventions that respond to community needs.
A further £53,000 has been awarded for a one-year Schools Connect pilot, helping schools respond to safeguarding concerns and online harms. The programme will work with young people across the borough, providing advice, support and education to help them stay safe both online and offline.
In addition, £142,857 has been awarded through the Violence Reduction Unit's Robbery Fund over the next two years. The funding will support robbery prevention work, education programmes, mentoring and detached youth outreach, helping to engage young people, build resilience and reduce the risk of exploitation and offending.
Together, these initiatives will increase partnership working across the borough, ensuring young residents receive the right support at the right time while helping communities feel safer and more confident.
The funding will help build on positive progress already being made across the borough, with recent figures showing knife crime reduced by almost 9% between July 2025 to July 2026.
The investment supports wider action already being taken to improve community safety. This includes increased police patrols in Barking Town Centre and investment in enhanced CCTV coverage around the borough.
The funding announcement was marked at a community engagement event held as part of the council's It Starts Here campaign, which aims to strengthen community safety, build public confidence and challenge perceptions around crime.
More than 300 residents attended the event, where council services joined the Metropolitan Police, London Fire Brigade, Youth Unity and West Ham Foundation to showcase the support available across the borough. Visitors had the opportunity to explore emergency service vehicles, try on uniforms, take part in activities and speak directly with teams including Community Safety, Environmental Enforcement, Trading Standards and Private Sector Housing.
Councillor 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."
"Alongside this, we've increased police patrols in Barking Town Centre and invested in enhanced CCTV coverage as part of our wider commitment to making residents feel safe and confident in their neighbourhoods."
Biju Premnath, Superintendent, 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.
“While enforcement remains a vital part of our approach, we know that preventing violence and robbery requires strong partnership working and early intervention. These programmes will help us work more closely with schools, the council and community organisations to identify risks, support young people and take action where it is needed most.
“We remain committed to tackling those who cause harm in our communities through targeted policing and visible patrols, while ensuring that young people are given the opportunities and support they need to make positive choices. Together, this approach will help make our neighbourhoods safer and strengthen public confidence across the borough.
Group Commander Narinder Dail, the Brigade's Borough Commander for Barking and Dagenham said: "Our work isn't just about responding to emergencies and fires when they happen.
“Our crews at Barking and Dagenham fire stations are here to not just serve the community but also be part of it. It is about being part of the community and working to make it safe for everyone at all times.”
As the nights get darker earlier during the winter months, the council is encouraging residents to follow crime prevention advice and personal safety tips, and to continue reporting incidents when they see them: Spot it. Report it. Stop it.
Residents are reminded that if a crime is taking place or there is an immediate risk to life, they should call 999. For non-emergency incidents, concerns or information, contact the police on 101 or report online.
To receive crime prevention advice from the Police and to highlight areas what they are concerned about, residents are encouraged to sign up to Met Engage.