Central Bedfordshire Council, in partnership with the Police and Crime Commissioner, has been awarded almost half-a-million pounds in funding, from the Home Office’s Safer Streets Fund, to help improve community safety in areas affected by neighbourhood crime.

The Safer Streets Fund enables Police and Crime Commissioners and Local Authorities to bid for investment in initiatives, that has been proven to prevent neighbourhood crime, including burglary, robbery, and vehicle crime. The fund aims to reduce neighbourhood crime, make residents feel safer and reduce demand on the police. 

The council have received £432k in funding to be used to make improvements in a specific area. They include significant investment in new CCTV cameras, improvements to street lighting, fencing, landscaping, and maintenance and improvements to parking areas.

The funding will also be used to offer residents in hotspot areas Ring doorbells and Smart water kits, which is a traceable UV liquid and asset marking system that is applied to items of value to identify thieves and deter theft.

The council will also be using the funding to engage with the local community and community groups, support Neighbourhood Watch schemes, offer crime prevention advice, and provide targeted support and intervention to residents, businesses and in local schools.

Councillor Ian Dalgarno, Executive Member for Community Services, said: “I’m extremely pleased that we have been able to secure this essential funding.  We will now be able to introduce changes that will make life safer for those living, working, or visiting Central Bedfordshire.

"Improving street lighting and CCTV coverage, assisting residents with security systems for their properties, and generally making it harder for criminals to commit burglaries and robberies in some of the worst affected residential areas, will not only help to reduce crime, but also the fear of crime will be reduced.”

Commissioner Akinbusoye said: "I am delighted that Central Bedfordshire has been selected in this funding round. We use an evidence based approach to determine an area where this investment will have the greatest impact on the lives of residents because I want our residents to feel safer on our streets, and this investment will help in achieving this."