Commissioner welcomes £1.27m funding to make Hertfordshire streets safer

Funding worth £1.27m has been secured by the Police and Crime Commissioner for Hertfordshire to tackle crime and make the county safer.

David Lloyd’s office successfully bid for the Government’s Safer Streets funding for three projects which will improve the safety of women and girls and address serious violence, vehicle crime and anti-social behaviour.

Building on previous rounds of funding from the scheme the latest award marks a total of £2.6m of additional investment in Hertfordshire. This has been used to deliver key priorities in the Commissioner’s Community Safety and Criminal Justice Plan.

The latest award provides £781,274 from the Home Office plus £492,952 in matched funding contributions from local partners.

From the investment, £642,996 will be used to reduce the incidents of anti-social behaviour, vagrancy, drug and violence in the Bedwell area of Stevenage. Measures due to be installed in three tower blocks in the area include upgrading door entry systems, enhanced CCTV, employing neighbourhood wardens and target hardening garages to protect cars and property.

In Hertford town centre concerns over crimes associated with the weekend nighttime economy such as drug use, violence and those against women and girls are set to be addressed. The funding of £309,140 will pay for new mobile CCTV cameras, brighter street lighting, police patrols and ANPR monitoring of cars using the Gascoyne Way car park.

In addition extra training will be given to door staff, taxi marshals and CCTV operators to help women making their way home, alongside Op Vigilant which uses plain-clothed officers to target those displaying predatory behaviour.

The final investment of £325,705 will be focused on South Hatfield to reduce reports of vehicle crime, county line drug dealing, criminal damage and associated anti-social behaviour. The theft of motorbikes which are then ridden dangerously around the area is a particular concern and measures will be introduced to stop this behaviour.  

Mr Lloyd said: “It is very positive news that we have secured more funding to tackle neighbourhood crime, keep people safe and support the work of Hertfordshire Constabulary.

“The measures and tactics which are going to be implemented are based on Hertfordshire’s Prevention First model of policing, which aims to prevent crime by early intervention.

“This award builds on previous successful investment, and it is going into projects that are making a real difference in people’s lives. We have seen that CCTV, improved lighting and target hardening are making streets safer for women and girls and reducing the fear of burglary and robbery.

“I look forward to seeing the results of these latest projects and how they will improve the lives of those living and working in Hertfordshire.”

The new Safer Streets funded projects are due to get underway this month and be completed within 18 months.

Previously Safer Street funding in Hertfordshire saw £548,176 funding spent in Hatfield town centre to improve the underpasses and a £821,000 project in Cheshunt to address burglary.