Safer Streets funding enables new CCTV cameras for Nuneaton and countywide community safety interventions

The Safer Streets funding round which has enabled the cameras to be installed was launched by the Home Office in July 2023, with a total of £820,000 being made available to the Police and Crime Commissioner for Warwickshire for crime prevention projects across the county.

Since receiving the funding, Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council, working with Warwickshire County Council’s Community Safety team, have purchased and installed two new CCTV cameras to lamp columns in the area, increasing CCTV monitoring.

The installation of the cameras follows a Target Hardening project that saw the installation of kick barriers and gates in the area thanks to previous Safer Streets funding, protecting a large green open space.

Warwickshire Police have used Safer Streets funding to complete training for its officers and staff in behaviour detection officer methodology, focusing on Nuneaton town centre, Leamington, and Rugby.

This is a security method that uses observation to identify individuals who may pose a threat. It involves looking at a person's verbal and non-verbal behaviour to detect potential threats with the aim of disrupting potential criminals and terrorists before they can cause harm.

The Safer Streets funding has also been used for other community safety intervention projects across the county and for a countywide educational and awareness campaign by Crimestoppers to combat violence against women and girls (VAWG), with some excellent results.

The six-week long campaign ran from the middle of January to the end of February this year and sought to improve the understanding and confidence of people living and working in Warwickshire in responding to VAWG and preventing it from it happening in public places.

The campaign’s aim was to encourage people in the wider community to feel empowered to report VAWG, rather than the responsibility for reporting it being only with the victim. It highlighted the impact of VAWG on the community as well as on the victims, bystanders and those directly impacted.  

The campaign proved successful, with significant increases in the number of people in Warwickshire reporting VAWG-related issues to Crimestoppers.

Safer Streets funding has also been used to buy area-specific crime prevention equipment, based on local crime data, for a range of different Community Empowerment events. These are being held across the county in collaboration with local Warwickshire Police Safer Neighbourhood Teams, with the aim of enabling residents to make their own communities safer.

A community survey by the teams at the events has been gathering information from residents. The information will help to identify other local community safety interventions that could take place in the future. The results are currently being reviewed and the interventions are being planned.

Warwickshire’s Safer Streets projects were recently showcased to Home Office representatives, with Philip Seccombe, Warwickshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner, leading the event. Attendees included the High Sheriff of Warwickshire, Rajvinder Kaur Gill.

The Police and Crime Commissioner for Warwickshire, Philip Seccombe, said:

“The Safer Streets funding has enabled us to bolster our efforts in tackling a number of problems that communities have told us impact on their feelings of safety in Nuneaton and Bedworth. 

“I am really pleased to hear two new cameras have already been installed and look forward to seeing the positive outcomes they will make, that we have already seen in other parts of the county. I will continue to support this work to make sure our streets are safe for Warwickshire residents.”

Cllr Andy Crump, Chair of the Safer Warwickshire Partnership Board and Warwickshire County Council’s Portfolio Holder for Community Safety, said:

“It’s fantastic to see the Safer Streets funding being used to target crime hotspots in Nuneaton. The new CCTV cameras will act as a deterrent and provide valuable evidence, which will ultimately make a real impact on the scourge of criminal activity including nuisance bikes and anti-social behaviour, which impact our communities so negatively.  

“I’m also pleased to see the positive outcomes from countywide community safety campaigns and events on the reporting and prevention of crime by Warwickshire residents. We need to continue to work together within our communities to make a positive, long-lasting impact.”

The Safer Warwickshire Partnership includes representatives from Warwickshire’s councils, Fire and Rescue service, Police, the Police and Crime Commissioner, the Probation Service, Health, and charitable organisations. For more information visit www.safeinwarwickshire.com.