Newark and Sherwood share delight in receiving additional Safer Streets Funding

Following the recent Government announcement that Nottinghamshire will be awarded almost £1million to tackle neighbourhood crime, violence against women and anti-social behaviour, Councillor Paul Taylor, Portfolio Holder for Public Protection and Community Relations at Newark and Sherwood District Council said, “It’s great news that Balderton in Newark will receive a share of almost £1 million allocated to Nottinghamshire under the Safer Streets fifth round of funding. Tackling and reducing ASB, violence against women and crime and making our residents feel safe are key priorities and this additional funding will go towards specific measures in Balderton to achieve just that.

“We have already achieved so much in Newark recently, increasing enforcement against ASB perpetrators, installing better lighting and CCTV cameras, holding more nights of action and increasing the number and presence of our Community Protection Officers on the street are just some initiatives that have been implemented over the last few months. I was also pleased to hear Nottinghamshire Police are receiving £1 million of funding for policing ASB hotspots, something I know will benefit our partnership approach to tackling ASB. There is more to do, and, following our second Anti-Social Behaviour Summit at the end of October, I know there are some great things in the pipeline in our commitment to reduce crime and make our residents feel safer.”

Councillor Paul Peacock, Leader of Newark and Sherwood District Council, adds, “This additional funding is great news for Balderton. We will be working alongside Nottinghamshire Police and the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner to make sure that the money allocated to Balderton is used in the best possible way to address ASB and crime issues. We’ll be working closely with Balderton Parish Council, residents and partners to maximise the impact of this additional funding for the area.

“There is also work happening across the district to further reduce crime. A dedicated full time rural crime prevention officer was appointed who will look at additional measures to make it more difficult for criminals to reoffend, including providing free security upgrades. But we will not stop there as together, tackling crime and reducing ASB, is one of our key priorities and we will do all we can to achieve this across the whole of Newark and Sherwood.”

Councillor Jane Buxton, Chair of Balderton Parish Council said, “I’m thrilled at the news that our bid for Safer Streets Funding for Balderton has been accepted. This is just fantastic as we, along with Balderton’s Ward Councillors at Newark and Sherwood District Council, have worked so hard on the application to the fund to ensure the very best opportunities are brought to our local residents. ASB and crime issues do not just affect Balderton but it is important that as a Parish Council, we do all we can for our area in the Newark and Sherwood district, and I really hope the measures we will see implemented as part of this funding will help our residents feel safer when out and about in Balderton. I really couldn’t be more delighted with today’s news and we remain committed to doing all we can to maximise opportunities, such as this, for all our Balderton residents.”

Nottinghamshire Police and Crime Commissioner, Caroline Henry, said: “This is brilliant new for people across the county because it means that we have even more investment coming into Nottinghamshire which will make our public places even safer when out and about."

“This additional £1 million will make a real difference to people across the county as we have seen through the success of the previous Safer Streets projects. As well as preventing crime, the scheme also aims to make people feel safer too by making public spaces more welcoming.

“I was also keen for our partners within the city to not miss out on being able to continue their Safer Streets interventions and so have chosen to commit an additional £333,000 from my office of the Police and Crime Commissioner budget to continue the amazing work being done in the city and maintain the fantastic working relationships we’ve built with all eight local authorities in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire and we could not deliver this project without them.

“I have seen first-hand the amazing innovation in tackling antisocial behaviour and increasing feelings of safety in the county, with a country first CCTV Refuge Point Camera system, our Safer Gyms scheme designed specifically to tackle violence against women and girls, and much more.”

Inspector Charlotte Ellam, District Commander for Newark and Sherwood, said: “We are really pleased that Balderton is set to benefit from the latest round of Safer Streets funding.

“As a neighbourhood policing team, we are committed to doing everything in our powers to keep people safe and make our communities even better places to live.

“Tackling antisocial behaviour and reducing violence against women and girls are both policing priorities for Newark and Sherwood, so it’s great to see this funding will go towards helping achieve this.

“Whether it’s the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner or local authorities such as Newark and Sherwood District Council, the police working closely with our partners plays a key role in reducing crime.

“Projects like Safer Streets and the funding that comes with them can be hugely beneficial, so we are really grateful for this ongoing support.”

A short video from Councillor Paul Taylor, Portfolio Holder for Public Protection and Community Relations can be viewed here: https://youtu.be/d6C0uCjpww4?si=DGgrWH-NuiGbG4xH

Further information is below from the Office of the Nottinghamshire Police and Crime Commissioner

£1.3 million of new public safety funding for Notts

New CCTV, street lighting and free home security devices will be coming to towns across Nottinghamshire thanks to £1.3 million in new funding.
Bingham, Woodthorpe, Beeston, Worksop, Balderton, Sutton-in-Ashfield and Mansfield are the areas that will benefit from the windfall, which will also pay for expansion of a scheme designed to create Safe Spaces in shops for anyone in distress, automatic number plate recognition cameras and a new guardianship scheme to promote women’s safety particularly during the night-time hours.

It comes after the Home Office today announced the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Nottinghamshire has been successful in a bid to receive £1 million of new Safer Streets investment, with a further £333,000 being committed by Police and Crime Commissioner Caroline Henry, for public safety schemes across Nottingham and Nottinghamshire.

The project will involve working alongside Nottinghamshire Police and all eight local authorities, Ashfield District Council, Bassetlaw District Council, Broxtowe Borough Council, Gedling Borough Council, Mansfield District Council, Newark and Sherwood District Council, Nottingham City Council and Rushcliffe Borough Council.

This comes after the office had previously secured £3 million during the previous Safer Streets project, which had led to the implementation of various interventions around the county and city, including refuge point cameras, clean up days and new laptops for Police Community Support Officers.

This led to extremely positive results reported, including a 56% reduction in residential burglaries in the targeted areas in Nottingham, a 43% reduction in vehicle crime in Kirkby-in-Ashfield and a 27% reduction in antisocial behaviour in Broxtowe.

“This is brilliant new for people across the county because it means that we have even more investment coming into Nottinghamshire which will make our public places even safer when out and about,” said Commissioner Henry.

“This additional £1 million will make a real difference to people across the county as we have seen through the success of the previous Safer Streets projects. As well as preventing crime, the scheme also aims to make people feel safer too by making public spaces more welcoming.

“I was also keen for our partners within the city to not miss out on being able to continue their Safer Streets interventions and so have chosen to commit an additional £333,000 from my office of the Police and Crime Commissioner budget to continue the amazing work being done in the city and maintain the fantastic working relationships we’ve built with all eight local authorities in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire and we could not deliver this project without them.

“I have seen first-hand the amazing innovation in tackling antisocial behaviour and increasing feelings of safety in the county, with a country first CCTV Refuge Point Camera system, our Safer Gyms scheme designed specifically to tackle violence against women and girls, and much more.”
One of the people who benefitted from the last round of funding was 55-year-old Tracy Hunt, of Netherfield, who was so frightened after her front window was smashed that she slept downstairs for months so she could react quickly if her house was targeted again.

After receiving free home security equipment through Safer Streets, she said: “It has definitely given me peace of mind. I feel a lot better.”
Since the Safer Streets Fund launched in 2020, the government has invested £125 million through four rounds of the Safer Streets Fund, and the Safety of Women at Night Fund across England and Wales. Round Five was launched on 6 July 2023.

For the first time, a direct funding approach was adopted. As a result, every police force area across England and Wales was offered up to £1 million to bid for delivering a range of interventions over the period from 1 October 2023 to 31 March 2025.