A series of projects to bolster community safety in Clacton town centre will get underway soon thanks to almost £400,000 of funding.
Tendring District Council (TDC) has been awarded £317,000 from the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner for Essex’s Safer Streets Fund towards the projects, which will include CCTV upgrades and community engagement work. In addition, TDC is putting £82,000 in match-funding into the initiative.
The project will see 29 new town centre CCTV cameras installed as well as existing ones upgraded, along with an improved Control Centre and increased monitoring, including a direct radio link with Essex Police. Lighting will also be improved in key areas, particularly around the town’s seafront gardens and shelters.
In addition the Tendring Community Safety Partnership (CSP) will carry out community engagement projects; including working with pubs and clubs on the Ask for Angela scheme; and days and nights of action focusing on personal safety and tackling violence against women and girls.
Lynda McWilliams, TDC Cabinet Member for Partnerships and Chair of the Tendring CSP, said the funding would have a huge impact on Clacton.
“These initiatives will improve safety for people living, working in or visiting Clacton town centre, whether by reducing actual crime or making people feel safer while there,” Cllr McWilliams said.
“I am pleased that this will in particular help women to be safer and more confident, and my thanks go to the Essex Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner for awarding this significant grant and supporting this work.”
Roger Hirst, Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner for Essex, said: “Only by working in partnership can we make our town centres and communities places that everyone, especially women and girls, can feel safe in day and night.
“Safer Streets Fund projects really will make a difference. They will make areas more inviting and encourage residents to reclaim the public space, giving criminal activity no place to thrive and preventing crime from happening.”
Cllr Paul Honeywood, TDC Cabinet Member with responsibility for CCTV, added: “While our existing CCTV works well this is a great opportunity to expand our coverage to match crime hotspots and not only hopefully deter crime, but with our increased control room coverage we can better support our colleagues at Essex Police in bringing wrongdoers to justice.”
Photo: Paul Honeywood in TDC’s CCTV Control Room.
