PCC Caroline Henry, B&M security officer Alec Sulley and Councillor David Ellis.
Retailers are joining forces with police and street wardens to keep shoppers safe at a Nottinghamshire retail park.
Safer Streets funding is enabling a Shopwatch radio scheme to be reintroduced at Victoria Retail Park in Netherfield, meaning businesses can instantly contact each other and alert fellow traders and the police when persistent shoplifters are in the area.
The move – just as Christmas shopping footfall ramps up – will keep retailers and shoppers safe and comes thanks to the national funding, secured by the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Nottinghamshire.
Two Safer Streets wardens have also been employed by Gedling Borough Council with the funding, who will provide an extra visible uniformed presence at Victoria Retail Park as well as residential areas and the nearby Colwick Industrial Park.
Funding has also been allocated for additional high-visibility patrols from Nottinghamshire Police, while the force’s Operation Reacher officers in Gedling are also carrying out a retail and vehicle crime crackdown in the area as part of the rounded partnership approach to keeping people safe.
Police and Crime Commissioner Caroline Henry said: “While these measures are starting to come into place in the busiest time for retailers in run up to Christmas, they are being funded until late 2023, so they will have lasting impact on safety in public places across Netherfield and Colwick.
“Working alongside Nottinghamshire Police and Gedling Borough Council, we have come up with a huge package of public safety initiatives that are in addition to the work that these partner agencies already do all year round.
“As well paying for extra police patrols, two new Safer Streets wardens and the Shopwatch radio scheme, there will also be significant investment in new CCTV cameras and automatic number plate recognition cameras, as well as street lighting to make people feel safer.
“We will also be offering burglary victims some free security devices such as Ring doorbells and locks, while carparks and residential street parking will be upgraded to make them safer and prevent vehicle crime.”
The Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner was successful in securing £3 million of Home Office funding through Safer Streets in July and has since been working with Nottinghamshire Police and local authorities across Nottingham and Nottinghamshire to implement the safety measures.
A total of £750,000 of this funding is allocated to the Nottinghamshire South area, to be spent in Netherfield and Colwick, in Gedling, Trent Bridge ward, in Rushcliffe and Eastwood South, in Broxtowe.
Leader of Gedling Borough Council, Councillor John Clarke MBE said: “We’re very pleased to be working with the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner to keep our streets safer and reduce crime, something that is a Gedling Borough Council priority.
“We have seen the success of Shopwatch schemes in areas such as Arnold, which were introduced a few years ago and increases in patrols will hopefully make people feel safer too.
“The extra wardens should also help reduce some of the recent antisocial incidents at Victoria Retail Park and stop car cruisers, who have been using Colwick Industrial Estate to gather at night and provide reassurance to local residents.
“I would like to thank the work being done by the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner alongside our Neighbourhood Wardens on this important scheme and I am sure the retailers will also be very pleased with the extra security that this announcement will bring as they continue to recover from the loss of business due to the pandemic.”
Inspector Mark Stanley, Nottinghamshire Police’s District Commander for Gedling, said: “My Reacher team is already out there this month targeting those intent on causing misery for shoppers, businesses, and residents.
“The reintroduction of the Shopwatch scheme and two street wardens will only contribute to the public having that extra security net and knowledgesomeone is always there to help when they are out shopping.
“These schemes wouldn’t be possible without the relationships we have with our partners and thanks to a joined-up approach between us all and our combined objective to keep the public and community safe - initiatives like this can be relaunched and help keep retailers and shoppers safe.
“The Safer Streets funding is incredibly helpful in helping to add more CCTV cameras and automatic number plate recognition cameras but also helping those people who have been burgled and offering them free security devices such as doorbell cameras and locks.
“Looking after the people of Gedling is our top priority and working alongside our partners only helps us make sure communities are protected.”
Posted on Monday 19th December 2022