Work completed on CCTV in town park
NEW CCTV cameras have been installed in a Hinckley park to increase safety and deter crime.
Police and crime commissioner Rupert Matthews joined Hinckley and Bosworth borough councillor Michael Mullaney at Clarendon Park for a close-up view of the new safety additions, funded by Safer Streets.
Four cameras have been installed - two at the basketball court and two at the other end of the park near the play area. All will be fully operational by very soon.
The move is part of the multiagency Safer Streets 3 project aimed at tackling violence against women and girls and reducing the fear of crime.
Working in conjunction with local authority partners and Leicestershire Police, Mr Matthews secured £550,000 from the third round of the Home Office’s Safer Streets Fund to invest in new safety measures at parks and open spaces across the policing area.
The project will deliver 31 CCTV cameras and improved street lighting in parks across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland, boosting the police’s ability to secure evidence and catch offenders.
Mr Matthews said: “These cameras are a welcome addition to this community. They will not only provide police with crucial evidence when investigating crime, they will also give park users greater confidence when enjoying our green spaces.
“The Safer Streets 3 project is aimed at reducing risk and vulnerability so women and girls can go
They will not only provide police with crucial evidence when investigating crime, they will also give park users greater confidence. Rupert Matthews
about their daily lives without fear but the benefits of the scheme go much wider than that and will increase the safety of all.
“The success of this project is down to strong partnership working and joint problem-solving. It is rewarding for the whole team to see their hard work transforming communities in this way.”
Cllr Mullaney, the borough council’s executive member for community safety, said: “I am delighted we are getting these extra cameras as part of the Safer Streets programme.
“A topic a number of people raise in Hinckley is often feeling not safe at night.
“With Clarendon Park being a park people often walk in at night we wanted to ensure people felt safe.
“We hope these four extra cameras in different locations in the park can give people more reassurance if they have to walk through the park late in an evening.”
The Safer Streets 3 improvements cover 18 parks: Victoria Park, Braunstone Park, Abbey Park, Western Park, Bede Park, Aylestone Meadows, Rally Park, Knighton Park, in Leicester; Bradgate Park and Queens Park, in Charnwood; Warwick Park Kibworth Harcourt and Welland Park, in Harborough;
Clarendon Park, Hinckley; Melton Country Park; Brock Hill Country Park and Blaby Road Park, in Oadby and Wigston, and Cutts Close Park and Tod’s Piece Park, in Rutland.
The project will also fund improvement works to increase visibility and reduce seclusion in parks through the cutting back of undergrowth and foliage and the launch of a new safety campaign to tackle underlying attitudes and inequalities that help to foster violence against women.
Nationally, police and crime commissioners and local authorities received £23.5 million of Safer Streets funding on top of the £18.4 million already awarded this year in the second round of the fund.