Safer Streets funding enables new CCTV and lighting for Rugby - and countywide community safety interventions

The Safer Streets funding round which is enabling the improvements 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, Rugby Borough Council, working with Warwickshire County Council’s Community Safety team, have upgraded the town centre CCTV system’s software and hardware, and are expanding the town’s CCTV network.

New CCTV cameras will be installed in Millenium Green alongside recent lighting upgrades that included the installation of lamp columns and new solar footpath lighting.

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

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 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.

Philip Seccombe, The Police and Crime Commissioner for Warwickshire, 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 Rugby.

“I look forward to seeing the positive outcomes that will come from these CCTV upgrades and new lighting, 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 Rugby town. The new lighting and 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 county lines drug trafficking, anti-social behaviour and violence against women and girls, which all 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.