Successful year for the Safer Streets Project
20.05.21 - Merseyside
Residents in North Birkenhead have benefited from £750,000 of community safety measures such as alley gates, CCTV cameras and new streetlights, thanks to a six-month long project aimed at reducing crime.
The Safer Streets crime reduction programme, which got underway in October 2020, was set up to improve safety and security after consultation with local residents showed there were concerns about anti-social behaviour in the North Birkenhead area.
A partnership of Wirral Council, Merseyside Police, the Police & Crime Commissioner and North Birkenhead Development Trust successfully bid to the Home Office for funds which were used to reduce neighbourhood crime - offences that blight communities and cause misery to victims.
Since the project launched, the money has funded:
- 43 new alley gates;
- 8 new CCTV cameras and a new control room;
- 100 additional and upgraded streetlights;
- 300 home security packs for residents.
Merseyside’s Police Commissioner Emily Spurrell said: “It’s great to see the progress of the Safer Streets project in northern Birkenhead.
“Despite the challenges of COVID-19, the project team have been able to put in place a range of long-term solutions which will reduce and prevent crime and improve the safety of people living in this community, making it a healthier, more pleasant environment for them.
“My thanks go to all the partners who put this really important bid together and have used the funding to make a real difference for local people, helping to rejuvenate the area and forge a stronger, safer community.
“Working to stop crime from happening in the first place is one of my priorities and I am looking forward to supporting more projects which focus on preventing crime and keeping our communities safe.”
Inspector Tom Welch, who is leading the project for Merseyside Police, said: "Those living in the North End of Birkenhead have faced challenging conditions and we hope that the work we have done with our partners and the wider community, alongside the allocation of this funding, will continue to make a positive difference to their lives.
"We are determined to permanently drive down crime in the North End of Birkenhead and offer those that live there a refreshed sense of hope and opportunity for the future."
Mark Camborne, Assistant Director of Neighbourhoods, Safety & Transport at Wirral Council, said: “This has been a great piece of partnership working which has delivered real, tangible benefits for those living in North Birkenhead.
“We’ve listened to the community and by consulting with the residents there we have been able to use this funding to make the area a more safe and pleasant place to live.
“I’d like to encourage residents to continue to support our ongoing work to reduce crime by reporting incidents of anti-social behaviour so we can target our resources most effectively.”
A series of Action Days that had been planned across North Birkenhead were postponed due to COVID restrictions, however, residents were leafleted and encouraged to share their views on proposed Public Space Protection Orders (PSPOs) as well as the locations of the new CCTV cameras.
Teams from Wirral Council and Biffa have also been working in the alleyways as part of the project, to remove large amounts of rubbish and overgrown weeds to improve the local environment.