Nottinghamshire Police and Crime Commissioner Caroline Henry has secured £550k in Home Office funding to make women and girls feel safer on the streets of Worksop.
Commissioner Henry, who is delivering on her promise to secure Nottinghamshire’s fair share of central funding, received the maximum grant available in the third round of the Home Office’s Safer Streets Fund following a highly competitive bidding process.
The cash will help increase feelings of safety among women and girls.
It will fund new CCTV cameras, extra ANPR (automatic number plate recognition) technology to identify offenders, better street lighting and environmental improvement work as well as additional enforcement and high-visibility policing patrols in crime hotspots.
The Commissioner has been working closely with Nottinghamshire Police and Bassetlaw District Council to prioritise women’s safety, listening carefully to the views of local people and focus groups on what makes women feel safe.
Announcing the funding, Commissioner Henry said: “I am determined that women and girls can walk without fear in our public spaces – this is a key priority of mine as your Police and Crime Commissioner.
“I promised to speak up for Nottinghamshire – at the highest possible level - and secure every penny I can to improve the safety of our county. This funding is proof that the Government is taking note and really values the way we solve problems here.
“Working with partners, I will ensure the streets of Worksop are more walkable, more welcoming and well-lit. I will also make sure women have somewhere safe to turn when they feel most at risk and can rely on and trust their community for support.”
“Working with partners, I will ensure that women feel safe on the streets of Worksop by making sure they are well-lit and patrolled frequently.”
Commissioner Henry is determined to do more to protect communities at increased risk of crime as part of the Government’s ambitious ‘levelling up’ plans.
The Safer Streets project will deliver more fixed CCTV cameras to the town and additional operators to monitor them, as well as ANPR cameras, new street lighting and environmental improvements.
It will also fund safety awareness training for schoolgirls, diversionary activity and attitudinal training for young men.
Brendan Clarke-Smith, MP for Bassetlaw, added: “Constituents want to see improvements in the town and I am delighted that Worksop has received this funding. I would like to thank Commissioner Henry for her help in lobbying for extra investment in our area. People should be able to feel safe walking our streets and the increased funding, which can be invested in state-of-the-art technology and other initiatives, will help to make this a reality.”
Nationally, the Government is allocating £25 million to PCCs across England and Wales to tackle street safety and reduce violence against women and girls in public spaces.
Crimes which take place in public places such as sexual harassment disproportionately affect women, which is why this latest investment largely focus on making spaces safer for women and girls.
Since its inception, the Government has committed £70 million to the Safer Streets Fund to support local areas across England and Wales to introduce initiatives aimed at stopping offences happening in the first place.
Ends
Media Enquiries: Sallie Blair - 01283 821012 / 07702 541401
Posted on Monday 4th October 2021