Home revamps on the way in a bid to lock out burglars
The next phase of homes to get a security upgrade is on the horizon for householders as part of an operation to shut out burglars in the worst hit areas.
Horden was among the areas chosen to benefit as pa rt o f th e Sa fe r Stre et s Fund earlier this summer, with the scheme to now be expanded to protect more houses from break-ins.
The village was picked for the Home Office’s project as it has high rates of “acquisitive crime” – especially burglaries.
A s pa r t o f th e s c h e m e, a victim of burglary and those live nearby get secu
rity measu res installed to help reduce the chances of further incidents.
S i n c e i t s l au n c h , th e re has been a fall in the num
ber of burglaries in the area – alongside part of Darlington which was also chosen to benefit – which means more households will now be eligible for home improvements.
The cash support, awarded following bids from the Office of the Durham Police, Crime and Victims’ Commissioner (PCVC), is used to cover the cost of window locks, internal timer lights, double locks and deadlocks on outside doors and external lights activated by a sensor.
While they are installed by the council, police officers have been out speaking to residents and sharing security and crime prevention advice, with County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service and the Victim C a re a n d Adv i c e S e r v i c e (VCAS) also backing the initiative.
Durham Constabulary’s Chief Constable Jo Farrell s a i d : “T h i s ty p e o f c r i m e can have a huge impact on people, no-one should feel terrified to live in their own home.
“These changes should m a ke a s i g n i f i c a nt d i f fe rence to the quality of life of residents living in these areas and ultimately make our streets safer.”
Joanne Waller, Durham C o u nty C o u n c i l ’s h e a d o f community protection, said: “We are delighted that this scheme could be expanded to help protect even more residents’ homes in County Durham. This project has been a great demonstration of work with our partners to make sure our residents c o nt i nue to fe e l s a fe, supported and protected.
“O u r p r i o r i ty i s a l ways to make sure our county remains a safe and welcoming place to live, work and visit.”