New safety cameras arrive at Hinckley park to help cut crime

Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Police and Crime Commissioner Rupert Matthews joined Cllr Michael Mullaney at Clarendon Park in Hinckley this week for a close-up view of the new safety additions, funded by Safer Streets.

Four new cameras have recently been installed at the site to help reassure park users and increase their safety - two at the basketball court and two at the other end of the park near the play area. All cameras will be fully operational by March.
The move is part of the wider multiagency Safer Streets 3 project which is aimed at reducing violence against women and girls and reducing the fear of crime.

Working in conjunction with local authority partners and Leicestershire Police, Leicestershire Police and Crime Commissioner Rupert Matthews secured £550k from the third round of the Home Office's Safer Streets Fund to invest in new safety measures at parks and open spaces across the force area.

Overall, the project will deliver 31 new CCTV cameras and improved street lighting in parks across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland, providing police with increased capabilities to secure evidence and catch offenders.

Mr Matthews said:

These new cameras are a welcome addition to this community and will not only provide police with crucial evidence when investigating crime they will also give park users greater confidence when enjoying our green spaces.

The Safer Streets 3 project is aimed at reducing risk and vulnerability so women and girls can go about their daily lives without fear, but the benefits of the scheme go much wider than that and will increase the safety of all.

The success of this project is down to strong partnership working and joint problem-solving. It is rewarding for the whole team to see their hard work transforming communities in this way.

Councillor Michael Mullaney, Executive Member for Community Safety at Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council, said:

I am delighted we are getting these extra CCTV Cameras as part of the Safer Streets programme. A topic a number of people raise in Hinckley is often feeling not safe at night. With Clarendon Park being a park people often walk in at night we wanted to ensure people felt safe while walking through it, an issue of concern for many residents with many women in particular feeling unsafe walking at night

We hope these four extra cameras in different locations in the park can give people more reassurance if they have to walk through the park late in an evening.

The Safer Streets 3 improvements cover 18 parks across the LLR area and comprise: Victoria Park, Braunstone Park, Abbey Park, Western Park, Bede Park, Aylestone Meadows, Rally Park, Knighton Park in Leicester, Bradgate Park and Queens Park in Charnwood, Warwick Park Kibworth Harcourt and Welland Park in Harborough, Clarendon Park in Hinckley and Bosworth, Melton Country Park in Melton, Brock Hill Country Park and Blaby Road Park in Oadby and Wigston, Cutts Close Park and Tod's Piece Park in Rutland.

The project will also fund improvement works to increase visibility and reduce seclusion in parks through the cutting back of undergrowth and foliage and the launch of a new safety campaign to tackle underlying attitudes and inequalities that help to foster gender-based violence. 

Nationally, police and crime commissioners and local authorities received a total of £23.5million of Safer Streets funding on top of the £18.4m already awarded this year in the second round of the fund.