Work is underway to install new CCTV and improved street lighting in Melton town centre to help prevent crime.
Community Safety officers from Melton Borough Council are working in partnership with Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Police and Crime Commissioner Rupert Mathews to reduce opportunities for theft, burglary and car crime – offences known as acquisitive crime – through a range of new security improvements.
The investment is part of a £550k grant secured by Mr Matthews from the Home Office’s Safer Streets 2 Fund and also has seen residents living in the town centre offered free security improvements including secure door and window locks and window alert alarms to reduce their risk of crime.
This week, Mr Matthews visited Melton town centre alongside Rutland and Melton MP Alicia Kearns, Melton Borough Council Cllrs Malise Graham, Portfolio Holder for People and Communities, Craven ward Cllr Jeanne Douglas and Michelle Howard, Director for Housing and Communities, to see the sites where the new street lighting installation is currently underway.
The project is funding lighting upgrades in St John’s Court, Rutland Street, British School Gardens and New Street, the purchase of walkie talkies to expand the town centre radio link scheme and four new CCTV cameras, which will be deployed in key locations across the area over the next few months.
Mr Matthews said: “It is rewarding for the whole Safer Streets team to see these new streetlights up and running and providing reassurance.
“Safer Streets is partnership working at its best and it is thanks to the hard work and commitment of our officers working on the ground that people are able to benefit from these improvements so quickly.
“CCTV makes it much easier for police to catch and prosecute criminals. It also makes offenders think twice about committing their crimes in the first place. If we can prevent just one crime through these additional measures, including the extra security we have funded at people’s homes, then it has been worth every penny.”
Cllr Graham, Portfolio Holder for People and Communities said “It is tremendous to be working with the Police and Crime Commissioner and other local partners to improve safety within Melton town centre. The upgraded lighting that will be installed in St John’s Court, as part of the Safer Street 2 Project, will improve the lives of the residents living there, increasing the security to their property and helping to prevent street crime and burglary in that area.
“These improvement works are part of our corporate priorities to provide excellent services, positively impacting on our communities and are just the start of our crime reduction initiative within the town. We plan to use this funding, as well as funds of our own, to improve the lighting in other priority areas of the town, enhance the provision of CCTV, and offer specialist support to residents in targeted areas. We will continue to work with our residents and the police to improve the lives of local people and reduce crime in the borough.
Rutland and Melton MP Alicia Kearns added: "We all deserve our town to be as safe as possible, and that's why I’ve been working with the Government, and our Police and Crime Commissioner, to make sure we get the increased lighting and CCTV we needed. I will continue to do everything I can to protect our communities and make us all even safer."
The PCC is working with a team of partners including North West Leicestershire District Council, Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council, Harborough District Council and Melton Borough Council to protect people and their property.
Overall, Safer Streets will offer up to 1,104 households free security upgrades worth a total of £186k across the four towns while funding has also been dedicated to removing graffiti in Hinckley.
The Government’s Safer Streets Fund aims to stop offences that blight communities and cause misery to victims.
Nationally, the Government has announced a £18.3m funding package in the second phase of its Safer Streets Fund.
A total of 40 areas across England and Wales have been chosen to receive grants to tackle neighbourhood crime and clamp down on burglary, robbery and vehicle theft.
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