Backing for bid to make streets safer

A NEW online tool enabling people to pinpoint public spaces where they feel most at risk of crime, has been welcomes by Derbyshire Police and Crime Commissioner Angelique Foster.

StreetSafe is a three-month pilot launched by the Home Office as part of a strategy to tackle violence against women and girls.

The new service, hosted on the national police website police.uk and backed by the National Police Chiefs’ Council, invites residents to pin drop on a map locations that have made them feel unsafe – regardless of whether a crime has occurred. Users will not be able to use it to report crime to the police.

The data will be collected to enable Police and Crime Commissioners to prioritise resources, commission services to make people safer (and feel safer) and undertake partnership work to combat risk in the future. Improvements could include better lighting, night patrols or cameras.

Ms Foster said: “The safety of women and girls is a top priority and I am committed to helping reduce vulnerability and increase confidence within our public spaces. Effective policing relies on intelligence from the public to help plan and prioritise resources and I urge people to tell us where and why they feel unsafe.

The site is at www.police.uk/ streetsafe