Safer Streets 3 Project

Safer Streets 3 is a government initiative, aiming to work across multiple departments, teams and organisations to improve the safety of public places. As part of the government’s Safer Streets Round 3 Fund, the Council bid for and was successfully awarded £124,391.

The core aim of the project was to reduce violence against women and girls (VAWG) and increase women and girls’ feelings of safety in public spaces, through the implementation and delivery of a number of initiatives and actions. In general, there is an expectation that the measures will deter crime and reduce anti-social behaviour, therefore helping residents, visitors to the area and business owners feel reassured and safer when out and about. 

Actions

• Awareness campaign

Messaging in and around the Norwich Road area was installed to spread awareness and encourage people to report crimes they see, to make the area safer. We wanted to reach members of the community and make them feel part of this initiative, so they can help to bring about change. The extensive campaign ran alongside a Crimestoppers campaign throughout February and March.

• Eight CCTV cameras installed

The cameras will monitor activity along Norwich Road between Valley Rd and Civic Drive with three at Barrack Corner. The locations were identified by the Police as the best sites for the cameras and they will be monitored by the Council’s 24-hour Emergency Control Centre.

The introduction of greater surveillance will help to deter crime and reduce anti-social behaviour and so help residents, visitors to the area and business owners feel reassured and safer when out and about. These cameras were just one of the measures being put in place to make women and girls, in particular, feel safer in the area.

• Personal safety alarms and self-defence classes

• Rolled out the ‘Ask for Angela’ campaign to businesses

• Replaced the safety mirrors in the St Matthew’s Street subway

• Installed new waste bins

• Removed flyposting along Norwich Road

• Held Community engagement events with the Police and IBC Community departments carrying out a survey with the public to gain views of safety in the area.

Safer Streets 2

Safer Streets 2 utilised £226.2k of Home Office funding focussed on reducing Acquisitive Crime in the Westgate ward and borders on Gipping.

Acquisitive Crime is taking someone else’s possessions from persons or property without permission.

The Safer Streets 2 project achieved a 20% reduction in the targeted crimes during project delivery with a maintained reduction of 9% for the same crimes since.

Over 20 interventions were delivered across themes of Target Hardening, Resident education and engagement as well as environmental improvements.

Close work was undertaken in partnership with the Police and multiple council services to achieve these outcomes.