West Yorkshire's Women's Safety Unit has received financial backing to continue for another year.
The unit, led by Mayor of West Yorkshire, Tray Babin, seeks to improve safety for women and girls in the county.
The announcement comes as the number of offenders brought to justice for rape and serious sexual offences in West Yorkshire has increased by 28.2 per cent compared to the same seven-month period in 2023 - according to West Yorkshire Combined Authority's press office.
The partnership consists of members of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, the region's Violence Reduction Partnership, and West Yorkshire Police.
The Women's Safety Unit's methods of tackling violence against women and girls in the region have included 'driving the use' of civil orders to protect victims and survivors of offences; 'ensuring opportunities' for the use of forensic marking in domestic abuse cases; Independent Advisory Groups and Scrutiny Panels; and a Walk and Talk initiative with police officers in Leeds.
Investment in the unit follows the Reclaim the Night event which took place at Greenhead Park in Huddersfield in October.
Guests at the Reclaim the Night event reportedly included Spen Valley MP Kim Leadbeater and Huddersfield MP Harpreet Uppal.
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