Newsletter – February 2026

Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Danielle Stone’s Immediate Justice team has worked with more than 360 offenders from those referrals, providing an alternative to prosecution for people who have committed lower-level offences such as criminal damage, causing a public nuisance or being drunk and disorderly.

The offenders are referred to the scheme by Northamptonshire Police officers and the Youth Offending Service. They are taken by Immediate Justice supervisors from the Commissioner’s office to spend a minimum of four hours carrying out community improvement work. This can include litter picking, repairing play equipment, cutting back bushes or mowing overgrown grass and painting over graffiti.

Of the 360 offenders who chose to engage with Immediate Justice, just 12% have gone on to re-offend, compared to the 33% rate for those who did not engage.

Danielle Stone said: “This is another important milestone for our Immediate Justice scheme.

“They work one-on-one with offenders to make sure they understand the harm they have caused and repay that by contributing positively to our society and making our community spaces safer and more welcoming.”

Danielle added: “The improvements that have been made to our community spaces are a very visual reminder to members of the public that justice has been done.”

The Immediate Justice programme has connected with over 50 parishes, local authorities, community groups and charities across Northamptonshire.

Through these connections, over 80 parks, communal areas and community spaces have been identified as needing attention and have been visited by the Team.

Recently, offenders have completed repairs to public paths across the county, to make them more accessible.

• Little Harrowden, spending four hours clearing a roadside path, making the village’s sign more visible for those passing through
• Borough Hill in Daventry, where three offenders spent a total of 12 hours clearing the area
• A path in Desborough starting from gates on Arthingworth Road, where three offenders spent a total of 12 hours clearing the pathway

As the new year gets underway, the OPFCC has awarded funding to ten parish council projects – through Danielle’s Grant Scheme – that willhelp communities tackle speeding, improve visibility, and create safer environments for all road users.

A total of £93,000 has been awarded for road safety schemes this year.

Recent grants which will support a range of practical improvements are:

• Thornby: awarded £1,881 to convert its Speed Indicator Devices to solar power.
• Welford: received £1,400 to install new village gateways.
• Pilton, Stoke Doyle & Wadenhoe: secured £5,000 for entrance gates and safety equipment.
• Lutton: granted £5,000 for a movable solar powered speed sign to target local speeding hotspots.
• Weldon: benefitted from £2,500 for two new Vehicle Activated Signs.
• Chelveston cum Caldecott: received £2,500 to upgrade its existing Speed Indicator Devices.
• Braybrooke: awarded £4,000 to install bollards as part of its village road safety project.
• Evenley: granted £1591.50 towards the purchase and installation of a Speed Indicator Device (SID).
• Grendon: secured £4,579 towards the purchase and installation of two Vehicle Activated Speed signs.
• Benefield: awarded £2,466.25 towards the purchase of equipment to support its Village Road Safety Initiative.

These targeted investments reflect the Commissioner’s commitment to delivering practical, community led solutions that reduce speeding, improve safety, and help residents feel safer in the places they live and travel through every day.

Applications are open for schools, parish councils and community groups seeking funding for road safety projects. Grants of £500 to £5,000 are available.

www.northantspfcc.org.uk

funding@northantspfcc.gov.uk

Project M provides access to professional music teachers and equipment to young people aged 12-18 through weekly sessions run by The Core at Corby Cube.

The funding will allow Project M to continue running after the loss of earlier funding, ensuring that the young attendees have a positive environment to spend their evenings.

The grant will help to fund the professionals who support the young people during sessions.

The project was started by Joe Flavin after a conversation with Corby Town Centre Director Dan Pickard (pictured right with the Commissioner). They wanted to create a dedicated safe space for young people, diverting them away from anti-social behaviour in the town centre.

Joe said: “Both the Core at Corby Cube and Willow Place Shopping Centre are delighted and grateful for this new partnership with the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner as we look to develop the project further to serve the needs of young people in Corby.”

Danielle said: “The grant funding will ensure that this fantastic project can keep providing a positive, creative space and a project that gives young people a purpose and direction and keeps them off the streets. It is a pleasure to support a programme that is having such an impact.”

Commissioner Danielle Stone currently funds the use of ID scanning machines for more than 20 late-night venues across the county.

The machines are used by door staff to check if someone’s ID is genuine and allow venue owners to join a virtual network that enables them to share pictures and information about those who cause disruption and have been banned, preventing them from entering other premises and creating further issues.

Last year, Danielle confirmed she would continue to fund the machines until 2028, having seen the positive impact they were having on tackling crime and disorder in the night-time economy.

One of the venues using the technology is The Old Bank, based on St Giles’ Square in Northampton town centre.

Sam Vata, the pub’s manager, said: “We’ve had our ID scanning machine since 2023, and it’s made a real difference for us.

“We’re delighted that the funding for these machines will continue from the Commissioner until 2028, and this will continue to make our premises safer for customers, staff and our security team.”

Danielle visited The Old Bank before Christmas to see the machines in use and said: “I’m pleased to be able to continue funding the scanning machines until 2028.

“We want people to come into town and enjoy themselves and support local businesses, and it’s also very important that we keep people safe.”

Augusta Ryan

Danielle Stone’s Early Intervention workers and Northamptonshire Police colleagues have played a vital role in stopping 849 children from going missing from home more than once.

In the first year 415 (87%) children did not go missing again and in the second year this figure was 534 (84%).

Danielle’s office has helped to fund four practitioners who engage with children at the earliest opportunity after their first missing episode.

They provide tailored support to build trust, find the root cause and reduce demand on frontline policing.

Their work has solved a critical problem in the response to missing children in this county and set a benchmark for early intervention in missing persons investigations nationally.

Danielle said: “This initiative shows the importance of skilled early intervention professionals working alongside police officers to proactively prevent harm.

“Every young person deserves the best possible start in life, and this project is a shining example of what can be achieved when we work together while also helping to ease demand on policing.”

The investment of more than £5 million has been signed off by Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Danielle Stone, and will give fire crews state-of-the-art appliances and equipment to support their emergency response.

As well as eight ‘Type B’ fire engines, Scania will also deliver a new turntable appliance – the same model as one that was bought for Moulton Fire Station in 2023.

Its features include a 42-metre turntable ladder which can be used as a staircase to rescue people from height and a tower that can deliver high volumes of water from an elevated position. This will strengthen the capabilities of the Fire Service in managing large scale incidents at high-rise and commercial buildings.

Another addition will be a driver training appliance which can be used as an extra fire engine if needed.

Further details on when and where all the appliances will be based will be released once they have been built and delivered.

Danielle Stone said: “Residents have told us they want to see us invest in our emergency services and improve our frontline response.

“Since 2022, we have ordered 16 new fire engines, two new turntable ladders and the training appliance. That is an investment of more than £8 million in the last four years to ensure we have the best possible equipment with which to keep people safe across the county.”

Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service urges venues to put safety first

Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service is strengthening its work with entertainment and event venues through a new programme of fire safety checks and support for businesses across the county.

The initiative follows global reflection on the tragic New Year’s Eve fire at a Swiss nightclub. For the fire service, it’s a sombre reminder of how quickly celebrations can turn dangerous when fire safety measures are compromised.

John Pratt, Protection Team Leader, said:

“Our thoughts are with everyone affected by the unimaginable loss at Crans-Montana. It reinforces why our work here in Northamptonshire is so important. We’ve had a lot of enquiries from businesses regarding fire safety, and we’re determined to do everything possible to prevent such an incident from happening in our communities.”

Over the coming months, fire crews will be available to conduct out of hours visits to licensed premises, helping venue managers review escape routes, understand occupancy limits, and maintain essential fire safety systems. Staff will also receive free training and practical advice on reducing risks, including the safe use of pyrotechnics. This programme complements formal inspections by Fire Protection Officers and will cover a wide range of venues.

Venue owners are being urged to review fire risk assessments, keep exits clear and avoid indoor pyrotechnics. Members of the public can also play a role by reporting unsafe conditions.

For more information or to request a visit, contact fireprotection@northantsfire.gov.uk or call 01604 797000