£257,000 of funding is to be spent on making areas of Hereford safer for people who walk home at night.
Herefordshire Council has taken a decision to support the grant bid made to the Home Office by The Police and Crime Commissioner for West Mercia (PCCWM). It focusses on routes taken home by females when out in the Night Time Economy (NTE) in Hereford.
Four geographic areas were identified (Aylestone, Whitecross Road and Bishops Meadow and Canary Bridge) through crime statistics, public surveys and wider consultation. In response, the Hereford Safer Streets Project will specifically target Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) offences of street harassment and violence, stalking, sexual assault, rape and domestic abuse perpetrated in public.
The improvements that require delivery from the council are as follows:
- Additional CCTV cameras
- Enhanced street lighting
- Landscaping of trees / shrubs to increase natural surveillance
Safer Streets 3 spend as follows:
Openview CCTV Installation – £140,638
BBLP Light pole Installation – £87,724.59
BBLP Vegetation Removal – £26,605.26
BT disconnect Existing CCTV – £2,299.11
Total £257,266.96
The grant has been reduced since the non-key decision was taken as
a result of a review of the grant criteria by the Home Office. The
completion date for the project is now scheduled for end 2022, a
detailed Programme plan will be shared with West Mercia Police to
confirm delivery.
