Police in Peterborough to benefit from £820,000 funding to make streets safer

Major improvements to protect residents from burglary, anti-social behaviour and to reduce to risk of violence to women and girls have been promised in Peterborough by Police and Crime Commissioner Darryl Preston.

Working in conjunction with a team of local community safety partners, Mr Preston has secured £820k of funding from the government’s Safer Streets 5 scheme.

The funding is being invested in a series of evidence-led safety interventions to support work to tackle neighbourhood crime and is the biggest investment in tackling Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) the county has ever seen.

In Peterborough, security experts are undertaking the first of a number of home upgrades and three new CCTV cameras have been ordered to make public spaces safer in Park ward.

Additionally, all residents who have been a victim of burglary in the last 12 months have been contacted and offered security surveys of their homes and crime prevention devices such as Ring Doorbells and additional window locks.

An extensive property marking scheme is also in development with Neighbourhood Watch.

Day and night-time economy workers, including bus and taxi drivers are also receiving training to identify predatory behaviour.

In Fenland, Huntingdon and St Neots, two Community Engagement and Resilience Officers have been recruited to listen to community concerns and develop joint solutions – with six additional CCTV cameras installed with extra staff to monitor them.

Mr Preston said: “Our safety partners are working around the clock to roll out Safer Streets 5 activity as quickly as possible and I am delighted with the progress being made. This will ensure residents feel the benefits of these extra measures sooner rather than later.

“Intrusive crimes like burglary can have a devastating and long-term impact on victims. I am pleased that all those who have been affected by burglary in the past 12 months have been offered a superior security package to keep their properties safe and reduce their anxiety.

“Cambridgeshire’s record number of police officers are already working hard to keep local people safe. This project is designed to complement those efforts by supporting a whole range of interventions to prevent crime before it happens. Fewer crimes translate to fewer victims and if this investment spares just one future victim, it is worth every penny.”