Over £1m invested to reduce crime in Wirral
Over £1m has been invested in Wirral to reduce crime and anti-social behaviour.
The Safer Streets programme, funded through the Home Office, has provided numerous benefits to Seacombe and Birkenhead, two areas which have been adversely affected by anti-social behaviour.
These include:
- 70 new alleygates
- 18 new state of the art CCTV installations
- 13 upgrades to existing CCTV
- 300 upgraded streetlights
- 12 clean up days
- 300 home safety packs given to residents
In the five months since the Safer Streets 2 project came to an end, there has been a 48% reduction of reports of anti-social behaviour in Birkenhead and Tranmere and a 54% reduction in Seacombe versus the six months prior to Safer Streets.
The new and improved cameras are all designed and manufactured in the UK and have improved image quality which will help increase detection of crime and convictions from CCTV evidence. The cameras also use less power than the previous analogue models, reducing their carbon footprint.
All CCTV columns will have the capacity to provide a network connection for any device requiring access to the internet such as air quality sensors, public address systems, Wi-Fi hotspots or traffic counters providing further savings and opportunities to the Council in the future.
Alleygates are also having an impact, with one resident saying: “Me and my children had a little game of football and a bit of hide and seek, which we haven’t been able to do for over four years.
“It has only been a day and it has totally changed our lives back to how it used to be. It is absolutely brilliant.”.
The streetlights have been fitted with the latest LED lights, reducing their carbon footprint and improving brightness so that areas are better lit for residents.
Cllr. Helen Cameron, Chair of the Tourism, Communities, Culture & Leisure Committee, said: “We know that crime and anti-social behaviour (ASB) is a concern facing many of our residents, so investing in new cameras and technology should reassure people that we take the safety of our communities very seriously.
“By upgrading analogue cameras to digital CCTV across the borough, as well as installing new streetlights and alleygates, we are aiming to see a reduction in acquisitive crime such as burglary or theft and anti-social behaviour.
“I am really pleased with the feedback we have received from residents and am hopeful that we will be successful in bidding for future funding when it becomes available.”
To report anti-social behaviour in your area, visit www.wirral.gov.uk/asb. In an emergency always dial 999.
