Major cash boost to make Cardiff streets safer

A joint bid to secure funding for measures that will help make Cardiff streets safer places has been successful.

The Cardiff Community Safety Partnership, which comprises of organisations including Cardiff Council, South Wales Police, the Police and Crime Commissioner and other key statutory and third sector partners, has been awarded £432,000 from the Home Office’s Safer Streets fund, part of an £18.4m funding announcement for schemes across Wales and England that seek to  crack down on neighbourhood crimes like burglary, vehicle theft and robbery.

The money will be spent in Cardiff to deliver a number of new measures including additional CCTV, better lighting and physical safety improvements in the Grangetown and Butetown areas, mobile CCTV to respond to incidents and issues across the city when needed and an enhanced crime prevention service for repeat victims, such as provision of doorbell monitoring, security improvements, property marking and educational workshops.

The cash boost will also fund new approaches to identifying ASB hotspots to inform crime prevention and a new crime response / prevention command vehicle, providing a base to provide community reassurance and crime prevention advice.

A dedicated Crimestoppers initiative will also be implemented in areas where communities have raised concerns to the Council about the high levels of incidents and anti-social behaviour.

Cabinet Member for Housing and Communities, Cllr Lynda Thorne, said: “I’m really pleased that Cardiff’s bid to the Home Office has been successful as this has been a great example of partnership working between the Council, South Wales Police and the Police and Crime Commissioner on measures that will help communities to be safer and feel safer. This additional resource will enhance our joint working further to make Cardiff a safer place. 

“The Home Office funding will enable us to not only tackle cases of acquisitive crime in particular hot spots in the city, they will help prevent them in the first instance and give reassurance to residents that their safety is our priority.

“We’ve also worked closely with residents in Butetown and Grangetown, listening to their concerns about community safety in their local areas, to develop this bid. Measures such as increased CCTV, better lighting, smart technologies and getting the communities themselves involved in crime-stopping campaigns will help us make a real difference in preventing acquisitive crimes and other offences from blighting these areas and our residents.

“Furthermore, with our partners we are committed to the long-term implementation and maintenance of these measures for the benefit of our communities for years to come.”

Divisional Commander for Cardiff, Chief Superintendent Wendy Gunney, said: “This additional funding for Butetown and Grangetown is very welcome news.

“Improving infrastructure such as street lighting and CCTV will help create an even safer environment and hopefully make residents and visitors feel more confident to go about their daily business.

“We will continue to work with the local authority to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour, and our own targeted patrols, to reassure the community that their continued safety and well-being are at the heart of everything we do.”

South Wales Police & Crime Commissioner Alun Michael said:  “I am extremely pleased that we have been successful in our bid to the Home Office’s Safer Streets Fund; the £432,000 that has been awarded is testament to the strong links established between my team, the local police team and the community safety team at Cardiff Council, who are all focused upon the creation of safe, confident and resilient communities.

“The money from this bid will be invested in communities with which I am particularly familiar, originally as a youth and community worker and then from my time serving as their Member of Parliament for 25 years and now as their elected Police & Crime Commissioner. The voice of the community has been crucial in securing this funding; we have listened to the concerns of local people and will now work with them to tackle local issues by targeting interventions and taking prompt, positive action wherever possible.

“Working together we are committed to ensuring that Butetown and Grangetown see the benefits from practical solutions such as CCTV and also through educational and partnership interventions that will help to realise long term, sustainable improvements locally.”

Sheila Hendrickson-Brown, Chief Executive of Cardiff Third Sector Council (C3SC), said: ‘’We are happy to have secured this funding as part of a partnership which is focused on taking a joined up approach that prioritises safer local communities, and that recognises that the only way of continuing to address crime is to work with communities to develop their own solutions. 

“We are pleased the partnership is both looking at ways to beat crime, and also looking at the wider picture to divert people away from crime so that more people are, and feel, safer as they and their families walk down the street and go about their daily lives.”