INVESTMENT of £870,000 will be used to help drive down crime and reduce unemployment in the Teesside area over the next three years.

Safe in Tees Valley (SITV), which works in partnership on contracts to help reduce crime levels, and also improve youth employment rates, won funding from the North East Social Investment Fund (NESIF), part of venture capitalist firm North Star.

It will be used to deliver contracts worth almost £5m with the National Citizen Service and the Youth Employment Initiative to see more than 1,000 people a year receive improved employment and training chances.

The citizen service encourages volunteering and personal development among youngsters, while the Youth Employment initiative works in areas with high unemployment to support mostly young people not in education, employment or training (NEETS), including the long-term unemployed or those not registered as jobseekers.

SITV, a non-profit making company, started in 1996 after widespread concern about the crime levels in the Tees Valley area. It won a “substantial” regeneration project and went on to bring different communities and organisations together in the fight against soaring crime levels.

John Bentley, CEO at Safe in Tees Valley said: “Tees Valley is a fantastic place to live with a thriving business community.

“However there are still issues that need to be tackled to reduce youth unemployment, promote training opportunities and generate local enterprise.

“Up against a tight deadline we were in danger of missing out on a major contract until we linked up with Northstar Ventures.

“They were the only social investor we approached that understood our needs and were able to offer the flexibility we were looking for in an investment.

“We’re excited now to work with Northstar and the local community to create positive outcomes and address the needs of the region.”

Peter Gilson, Investment Manager at Northstar Ventures, said: “Safe in Tees Valley has 20 years’ experience of delivering projects that have positively impacted crime rates and improved employment prospects for people living in Teesside.

“We have been impressed with the collaborative approach it takes, and the new national contracts are testimony to the organisation’s success so far.

“We are proud to be part of this partnership.”