The funding will be used to help improve feelings of safety among women and girls
Working with Cornwall and Torbay councils, the Police and Crime Commissioner for Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly co-ordinated two applications to the Home Office’s Safer Streets fund - one for Paignton in South Devon and a combined bid for Camborne and Redruth in Cornwall.
The Home Office announced last week that Paignton is to receive £545,000 and Camborne and Redruth will receive £454,000 in what is the fifth round of Safer Streets funding. A further £527,000 of match funding has been identified.
The money will be spent throughout the rest of the 2023-24 financial year and throughout 2024-25 on a range of interventions to reduce crime and disorder, with police, councils, businesses and community groups all involved in the work. Both bid areas will benefit from investments including in-community engagement and education, CCTV improvements, upgrades to street lighting and additional staff appointed to focus on ASB.
In the last financial year, partners across Devon and Cornwall successfully secured more than £3m in Home Office Safer Streets funding, to deliver five place-based crime prevention projects. An additional £1m in local match funding was obtained to reduce VAWG-related crimes, prevent ASB and improve feelings of safety in public spaces.
Police and Crime Commissioner Alison Hernandez said: “Safer Streets funding has improved CCTV, upgraded street lighting, paid for additional safety officer patrols and supported several community initiatives in locations including Torquay, Exeter, Falmouth, Plymouth, Barnstaple and Truro. I am delighted that communities in Paignton, Camborne and Redruth are now going to receive the attention they deserve. These vibrant and close-knit communities have relatively low recorded crime rates but they do face some challenges, particularly relating to ASB. No one should live in fear of crime or ASB and I look forward to working with partners on implementing some practical and hard-hitting solutions over the next year and a half.”
Councillor Hayley Tranter, Torbay Council’s Cabinet Member for Adult and Community Services, Public Health and Inequalities, said: “We’re pleased to have this funding making its way towards Paignton so soon after receiving similar Safer Streets resources for Torquay. It will really allow us to step up our efforts to tackle anti-social behaviour and violence against women and girls in Paignton town centre and make it a more welcoming place for all who live, work and visit there.”
“It sits alongside the public and private sector funding and investment we’ve already drawn into Paignton, all of which is being used to enhance and improve public spaces, create new employment opportunities, and better connect the town centre.”
Carol Mould, Cornwall’s Portfolio holder for Neighbourhoods said: “We are excited to have this special opportunity to support the communities of Camborne and Redruth. The impact of anti-social behaviour and crimes such as violence against women and girls can be life-changing. Nobody should have to tolerate or live in fear of it, therefore we welcome the chance to deliver additional measures which will prevent it from happening and offer lasting solutions.”
How Safer Streets round five money will be spent
Bid 1 - Paignton town centre and seafront
This bid seeks to address ASB and VAWG (particularly in public places) and to improve feelings of safety.
This proposal includes funding for a project manager who will work across both bid areas.
Interventions include:
- Outreach Community engagement and education to address ASB, VAWG, feelings of safety and neighbourhood crimes through the purchase of a high visibility police community engagement vehicle
- Improvements to the CCTV infrastructure which will focus on areas with higher levels of ASB, VAWG concerns and vulnerabilities
- Upgrading and installation of new street lighting in Paignton which is critical to the prevention and detection of ASB and VAWG related crime, as well as the reduction of the fear of crime
- ASB situational ‘target hardening’ improvements which aim to reduce opportunities and incidents of crime and ASB, by enhancing CCTV and guardian sight lines
- Guardianship - Town Centre Officer and Evening and Night Time Economy (ENTE) marshals. The Town Centre Officer will provide a visible presence within the area and will challenge ASB and crime where appropriate, gather intelligence, share with partner agencies, including the police. They will also seek to look after people’s welfare and signpost vulnerable individuals to relevant support services
- Addressing VAWG in the ENTE with Project Vigilant (a police operation targeting perpetrators) and Shout Up (a campaign to end harassment in bars, clubs and pubs through training, education and activism)
- ASB restorative circles which aim to engage communities affected by repeated ASB and increase community awareness of work focussing on reducing fear, repairing harm and giving communities a voice, whilst reducing the social & economic cost of crime.
Bid 2 - Camborne and Redruth town centres
This bid seeks to address ASB and VAWG in the town centres and to improve feelings of safety.
Interventions include:
- Outreach Community engagement and education to address ASB, VAWG, feelings of safety and neighbourhood crimes through the purchase of a high visibility police community engagement vehicle
- CCTV improvements including investment in a new CCTV control suite which will provide live monitoring. Improvements to the CCTV infrastructure will be prioritised in areas with higher levels of ASB, VAWG concerns and alcohol-related violence
- Upgrading and installation of new street lighting in Camborne and Redruth - critical to the prevention and detection of ASB and VAWG related crime, as well as the reduction of the fear of crime
- ASB situational ‘target hardening’ improvements which aim to reduce opportunities and incidents of crime and ASB by enhancing CCTV and guardian sight lines.
- Guardianship – an ASB Case Worker will provide a visible presence within the area and will challenge ASB and crime where appropriate, gather intelligence and share with partner agencies, including the police. They will also seek to look after people’s welfare and signpost vulnerable individuals to relevant support services
- Educational training package to address behaviour and attitudes towards VAWG, with a focus on making children, young people and adults more confident in understanding behaviours that make them feel unsafe, and understanding what they can do about them
- Bystander Interventions which target key stakeholders in the community and service providers working with young people and those with multiple vulnerabilities
- Educational training package to address behaviour and attitudes towards ASB. Assertive outreach and education will be conducted with youth partners and linked in with adult outreach teams to engage young people.