Half a million pounds has been awarded to improve the lives of those living on the Brookside estate in Telford.
Police and Crime Commissioner John Campion has secured £550,000 from the Ministry of Justice’s Safer Streets fund, which was launched as part of a commitment to invest into towns and cities and ensure they are as safe as possible for residents.
The area of Brookside in Telford was put forward after suffering from burglary and thefts for a number of years.
The funding, which has been granted for a year, will support a partnership project involving West Mercia Police and Telford & Wrekin Council that will look at a number of measures including improving street lighting, identifying the most vulnerable properties and ensuring they have appropriate security, improving CCTV, and introducing a new Neighbourhood Watch group.
A group, made up of representatives from West Mercia Police and the council, will also be set up and they are seeking community-minded people to join and help shape what work will be done in the area. Anyone interested can make contact with the PCC’s office: opcc@westmercia.pnn.police.uk.
PCC John Campion said: “I’m delighted that we have been awarded this funding, and that the residents of Brookside will soon benefit from it. I made a commitment as Commissioner that I would build safer and more secure communities, and this funding will help in delivering that. People should feel safe, and not fear where they live or that they will become a victim of crime.
“Working with West Mercia Police, and other partners, we have already made great improvements in the approach to tackling burglary and serious organised crime which ultimately makes people safer. This money will allow additional investment to be placed in preventative measures, such as improved home security or increased street lighting. By doing this it will make a real difference to the residents, and will hopefully give them a sense of community. I look forward to working with partners to achieve this.”
Superintendent for the area, Jim Baker, said: “This is brilliant news for Brookside, there are some great people who live there with a real sense of community spirit and this funding will go a long way to make it a safer place for people to live.
“We’ve carried out a number initiatives and operations in the area including rolling out property marking technology and working with partners to take a holistic approach to tackling anti-social behaviour. This funding will further enhance this crime prevention work and help develop new initiatives to benefit the whole community.”
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