Rutland and Melton MP Alicia Kearns has welcomed the announcement that Leicestershire Police will receive an extra £1,518,306 in extra funding to crack down on burglary and theft in local crime hotspots.

The funding comes from the Government's £25 million Safer Streets Fund, of which Leicestershire Police is the largest recipient in the country.

The extra funding will be aimed at improving security in areas particularly affected by acquisitive crimes such as burglary, vehicle theft and robbery – offences that the public are most likely to encounter.

The £1.5 million funding will go towards measures proven to cut crime to stop the offences from happening in the first place. These include simple changes to the design of streets such as locked gates around alleyways, increased street lighting and the installation of CCTV.

It will also be used to train community wardens, deliver local crime prevention advice to residents and establish Neighbourhood Watch schemes.

Police and Crime Commissioners were invited to bid for a share of the £25 million Safer Streets Fund in January, with each project eligible for a grant of up to £550,000. Leicestershire Police received funding for three bids.

Rutland and Melton MP, Alicia Kearns, said: "I want Rutland and Melton residents to feel secure in our communities and this extra funding will help make that possible.

"I will, however, continue my work to tackle organised rural crime so the entirety of our area can live their lives free from the threat of crime."

This additional funding comes alongside the Government's commitment to recruit 20,000 additional police officers over the next three years, and the £1.1 billion funding boost for the policing system for 2020-21, a statement from the MP added.