First batch of homes in Newark receive free security upgrades thanks to multiagency funding scheme

The appointed contractor has installed the first security devices at properties in the Mill Gate, Bowbridge Road and Barnby Gate areas of the town to reduce their vulnerability to crime.

The contractor, which is working as part of the Safer Streets project, will be fitting free sensor lighting, window restrictors, video doorbells and in some cases WIFI and 4G security cameras to more than 100 homes in the coming months.

The project, funded by Nottinghamshire Police and Crime Commissioner Caroline Henry, Nottinghamshire Police and Newark and Sherwood District Council, follows the huge success of the original Safer Streets initiative in the Northgate and Chatham areas of the town.

The partners have contributed a total of £109k in funding to expand the project and help other households at risk of burglary. In addition, Nottinghamshire County Council has provided £25k to improve the lighting in the target areas.

So far, more than 100 homes have been offered a free security assessment and work has now started at the first batch of eligible homes.

Commissioner Henry said: "It's great to see local people already taking advantage of this scheme. For those who have not yet taken up the offer, I would say do not delay!

"There's a simple reason why we should do more to protect our homes - we make them less desirable to criminals and increase the risk of them being caught. And when whole neighbourhoods take action, the impact on offending can be remarkable, as the original Safer Streets project has proven. 

"We should all feel safe in our homes and I am determined to make sure everyone does."

Inspector Charlotte Allardice, from Nottinghamshire Police, said: "Quality home security is a proven crime prevention method, it deters any would-be criminals and can provide evidence if anything was ever to happen.

"We're continuing our hard work in making Newark as safe as possible and are determined to provide the very best service to our residents and visitors, something that this project will help us to achieve.

"We are always aiming to improve the lives of local people and do whatever we can to help them feel safer so I would encourage anyone who's been contacted to take advantage of this offer."

Councillor David Lloyd, Leader of Newark and Sherwood District Council, said: "Following the success of our burglary reduction initiatives in the Northgate and Chatham areas of Newark we are now offering them to residents living on Mill Gate, Bowbridge Road and Barnby Gate.

"Thanks to the great partnership working through the Safer Streets project, we are making it harder for criminals to operate and ensuring the safety of our residents living in high-crime hotspots.

"We are committed to making our district a safe and welcoming place to live, work and visit and the measures being offered for free to residents will enable us to keep driving down crime in a targeted way."

The second phase of the Safer Streets project in Newark will deliver high-visibility policing patrols in the area's high-crime hotspots, offer free security devices, locks and state-of-the-art GPS trackers to cyclists as well as free Bike Register marking, deploy mobile ANPR technology to detect crime, undertake vehicle crime prevention and a catalogue of environmental improvements including the removal of graffiti and fly-tipping waste. 

It will also ensure Newark retains its own Burglary Reduction Officer for a further 12 months to help engage with the community and deliver free security assessments.

Eligible residents will be contacted by phone or post and invited to sign up for a free security assessment.