Many funds are available from County Council, District Council and charities to support local community groups and projects.

• Cambridgeshire Community Foundation
• The Support Cambridgeshire website has a grant finder available
• Cambridgeshire County Council funding for communities
• see what grants we offer.

Scams make victims part with their money and personal details by intimidating them or promising cash, prizes, services and fictitious high returns on investment. 

Types of scams include: 

• mail scams: for example, mail asking to claim on a lottery ticket or cash prize, clairvoyants and spiritual guides that are made to look like handwritten letters
• internet scams: for example, emails pretending to be from your bank or building society, copycat websites that look like government official departments
• door stop scam: for example, callers at your door claiming to be from the police or council, callers offering to sell you something. Always ask for ID if you are unsure and never give any money away upfront. 
• You can find Trading Standards approved traders on their website or call 01392 383430
• rouge traders: a rogue trader will take money for work that they either do not do or do to a very poor standard. If a rogue trader is at your or a neighbour’s property dial 999. Otherwise use the non-emergency number 101 to report to it Police

Report a scam

To report any type of scam please contact Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040. Or make an online report here Reporting fraud and cyber crime.

You can report phishing emails to the bank whose brand/identity are being copied. Visit their website to find out the correct e-mail address.

For more information or advice contact the Citizens Advice Consumer Helpline 0808 223 1133.

To learn more about protection from scams to safeguard yourself and your community, you can take Friends Against Scams training. 

The The Little Book of Big Scams – 5th Edition is a comprehensive guide to help keep you informed and safe from fraud. An audio version of this book is available on Soundcloud - Stream The Little Book Of Big Scams from Metropolitan Police (you will need to create an account first which is free to do).

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Against Scams Partnership is a collaboration of voluntary, private and public sector organisations working together to stop scams. They share 5 simple steps you can take to help keep people safe from fraud.

Antisocial behaviour is a range of behaviours that can cause nuisance and annoyance or harm and distress to a person. It is a wide range of unacceptable activity.

Examples of anti-social behaviour include: 

• loud noise
• threats and violence
• harassment
• verbal abuse 
• careless driving 
• littering 
• vandalism 

You can report anti-social behavior using our online form. 

More information can be found by reading our neighbourhood issues page. 

Not all crime can be tackled by a community, but in partnership with the police and your local council, you can help prevent crime by:

• knowing and understand what are the signs of specific crimes in your community
• setting up a group to raise awareness 
• posting regular awareness updates via your village notice board or social media

Crimes in your area

For more information on how to prevent these crimes please visit the Our Watch website. 

Find crime statistics for your area, along with local news and advice about the issues in your community.

Other crimes that you can help to prevent are: 

Hate crimes

This could be towards the victim's disability, race, religion, sexual orientation or transgender identity. It can include damage to property, as well as exploitation for financial gain. You can report hate crime to the police; call 999 in an emergency or report online at Cambs Police.

An alternative method to report hate crime can be made via True Vision. This website also has a comprehensive list of support organisations for more resources on many different types of hate crime.

You can become a ‘Hate Crime’ champion for your community or organisation. This is voluntary and includes:

• displaying information on hate crime
• acting as a point of contact for people to discuss hate crimes
• signposting people to appropriate services
• information and guidance
• sharing key messages from local authorities and police regarding hate crimes.

Contact communitysafety@scambs.gov.uk for more information.

Child exploitation

Crimes such as trafficking, sexual exploitation, slavery, forced marriage, female genital mutilation and county lines drug trafficking. Contact the NSPCC to speak to trained professionals about what is happening, so they can signpost you to the right services and support agencies.

To help know the signs #LookCloser To Spot Exploitation.

For safeguarding training and to make a referral on any child safeguarding concerns please visit Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Safeguarding Partnership Board.

Domestic abuse

If you think anyone is in immediate danger, call 999 immediately. For more information and support please visit our domestic abuse webpage.

Modern day slavery

Demand for cheap goods, cheap labour and cheap sex has created the perfect storm for human trafficking. Thousands of people across the UK are being forced into a life they didn’t ask for, with more people discovered every day. For help, advice or support, or to report a case of modern slavery please call the Modern Slavery Helpline on 08000 121 700 or report it online on the Modern Slavery Helpline website. 

Radicalisation

Radicalisation and extremism are processes that involve either an individual or a group who adopt extreme political, social, or religious ideas. 

Please visit ACT Early Prevent radicalisation for information on signs to look for and support available. To share a concern, you have about someone or ask for advice, please visit the Cambridgeshire Constabulary for different reporting options. 

Drugs

Possession of drugs and drug dealing are crimes that are increasingly being seen in rural areas. ‘County Lines’ is a term to describe the ‘telephone lines’ used to bring drugs out into smaller towns and villages from the bigger cities. Very often young vulnerable children are targeted to do the drug running, which is exploitation. The Children's Society explains more on this.

The National County Lines Coordination Centre has useful short videos on warning signs, understanding exploitation and cuckooing. County Lines Warning Signs, How to Spot Exploitation Early.

Ivison Trust offers telephone support for parents and carers against child exploitation.

Drug possession and dealing can be reported to the police or to crime stoppers if you want to remain anonymous. The police need intelligence on drug dealing to assist their work to target areas and dealing lines. Crimestoppers reports can be made online or by calling 0800 555 111. More information on drug dealing and how to report it to Cambs Police can be found on the Cambridgeshire Constabulary website.

Support for people using drugs can help people break free from this damaging behaviour and other related issues that can come alongside drug usage. For more information on different drugs, the effects and dangers visit the FRANK website.

Drug and alcohol treatment services

Referrals for support can be made in Cambridgeshire to the below organisations:

• for young people please visit CASUS
• for adults please visit Cambridge Drug and Alcohol Service Cambridgeshire

Road related concerns may include: 

• speeding 
• parking 
• large vehicles 

Speeding

Community Speedwatch (CSW) is a national initiative where active members of local communities join with the support of the police to monitor speeds of vehicles using speed detection devices. They work on behalf of the Police and communities to organise CSW activity. 

Improving local traffic

• Modeshift STARS is the national awards scheme that recognises schools that have shown excellence in supporting cycling, walking and other forms of sustainable travel
• The Walking Bus scheme is a safe and healthy way for groups of children to walk to and from school
• create a cycling group to encourage residents to leave the car at home and reap the health benefits. Find out more at Cycling UK

Road safety

THINK! is a campaign by the UK government that has been running road safety campaigns for more than 75 years. The Central Office of Information (COI) ran the government’s road safety campaigns until 2000, when THINK! was officially established as the government’s designated road safety campaign.

Vision Zero Partnership has the aim of delivering safer roads for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough. The partnership has access to funding to improve road safety at community level. Grants of £3500 are available and for help applying please contact communitysafety@scambs.gov.uk 

Ridefree is a free online course that should be taken before a moped or motorcycle compulsory basic training (CBT), further in person motorcycle training is offered through BikeSafe. 

Safer driver training and minibus assessments are offered to car drivers and minibus drivers to help make road users safer.

There are many ways to make your community greener from litter picks to community gardens. This can help to create a cleaner and healthier environment and encourage interaction and sharing knowledge.

Greening your environment: Case studies

Below are some case studies of green initiatives in South Cambridgeshire as well as grants available to assist these projects.

• Marmalade Lane is Cambridge's very first co-housing project where homes have been specifically built to suit the needs of residents choosing to live in a safe and spacious community. Marmalade Lane consists of 30 houses and 12 flats, all energy-efficient timber-frame properties priced from £255,000 to £535,000 with an eco-friendly approach in mind, they are thermally efficient and airtight and a single house can be erected in just 2 days.
• Cambridge Sustainable Food is an innovative and growing partnership of public, private and community organisations in Cambridge and the surrounding villages who work with each other to promote a vibrant local food system, all along the supply chain and into our community. They also campaign to achieve healthy and sustainable food for everyone. 
• 2G3S (Green Groups in the Shelfords, Stapleford and Sawston) is a non party-political group to promote green activity in our local villages and to share green ideas. They hold planning and discussion meetings every 6 weeks and put on events. 

Help with environmental issues

You can: 

• apply for a grant to kickstart your new project or expand your existing project
• report fly-tipping and litter to help keep your community clean 
• organise a litter pick 

• Supporting communities to create low carbon neighbourhood plans

Engaging with your community can help to: 

• strengthen services to better fit the needs of users and have higher levels of customer satisfaction
• reduce inequalities
• provide an opportunity for people have their say in council matters such as housing and planning
• make communities safer and stronger
• give greater local ownership of council services
• improve local reputation
• build community cohesion and collaboration
• give residents the ability to help themselves and each other

We have suggested 5 key aims to help you engage with your community: 

• to put community involvement at the centre of everything you do
• to strive for a broad representation of your residents consider how to make sure Youth Voice is also heard.
• to be honest, open and transparent with your community ensuring there is easy access to clear and relevant information
• to make sure that the views, needs, expectations and outcomes of engagement activities are used to inform the decision-making processes.
• to listen to your community and give feedback to participants about outcomes of engagement activities.

You can engage with your community through: 

• social media
• leaflets and newsletters
• posters
• information stalls
• news releases 
• questionnaires and surveys 
• focus groups 
• community-led events 
• round table workshops
• asking for feedback on written plans, policies and strategies
• community projects

If you are planning a community project or event please look at our example risk assessment form [PDF, 0.1MB] and example venue access checklist form [PDF, 0.1MB]. You can also read our planning a community event page for more tips and advice.