A new burglary and theft crackdown in two crime hotspots in Newark is under way after Nottinghamshire Police and Crime Commissioner Paddy Tipping secured £550,000 funding from the Home Office.

Nottinghamshire has been allocated the maximum available for a single scheme from the £25m Safer Streets Fund.

The money will fund a series of crime prevention measures in the Chatham and Northgate area of Newark, primarily focusing on domestic burglary, vehicle crime and bicycle theft in the areas of Chatham Court and Lovers Lane.

The grant will also fund the appointment of a new Burglary Reduction Officer to work with the local community undertaking risk assessments of properties at risk of burglary, organising improvements to security including new door locks, window alarms, security lighting and/or CCTV.

Responding to the announcement, Paddy Tipping said: “This is a brilliant result for the communities of Chatham and Northgate who will have a dedicated Burglary Reduction Officer to bring people together and improve relationships between multiple organisations to make the area safer.

“The Home Office was impressed with our detailed case which not only identified the driving forces behind the problems in these areas but presented workable solutions which aim to build resilience among the communities.

“Some of the analysis undertaken in preparation for the bid revealed a lack of crime reporting in these areas and this is something we are keen to change by increasing trust and creating an environment where people are encouraged to play an active role in public safety. This will be aided with the launch of a new Community Hub at Chatham Court housing providing on-site contact for residents and agencies and enabling problems to be identified quickly.

“Alongside enhanced community engagement, we will also be utilising technology and robust enforcement measures – including high visibility patrols and intelligence gathering – to target the top 10 offenders suspected as being responsible for a high level of acquisition crimes in these areas.”

Newark and Sherwood District Council leader David Lloyd added: “We are continually working to make the District a safer place to live and being awarded the Safer Street funding in Newark is a welcome boost in ensuring we focus on hotspots and continue driving down crime in a targeted way.

“Enforcement is high on the agenda of our Cleaner, Safer and Greener initiative. Our residents’ survey and Towns Fund consultation indicated that crime, and the fear of crime, were people’s top priorities especially in parts of Newark where feelings of safety were significantly lower than the national and county average, most notably at night-time. We have recognised this priority and invested in preventative measures, working alongside the Police, to improve safety and reduce crime. We have recruited a team of Community Protection Officers with civil enforcement powers, extended and upgraded CCTV, supported diversionary activities with younger people and worked with communities on ‘target hardening’ such as Neighbourhood Watch.

“Town Centre crime has already declined, as has some anti-social behaviour. This funding will allow us to continue building on these successes by working with the police to identify specific and permanent measures that will make our communities even safer by targeting known ‘hot spots’ for burglaries, robbery and theft.”

Among a package of measures funded by the grant will be increased use of ANPR cameras to tackle vehicle related crime; upgraded security on doors and windows in the Chatham Court area, improved lighting, the installation of CCTV and improved bicycle storage to deter offenders from entering the premises for illegal drug use, rough sleeping and other criminal activity.

The Burglary Reduction Officer will work closely with local authority colleagues to fix and improve street lighting while a new car parking permit scheme will be launched to enable residents to park their cars outside their house, increasing natural surveillance and deterring visitors from using the spaces.

Meanwhile, the Force will run a host of bicycle property marketing campaigns to reduce theft and aid the detection and recovery of property. A similar campaign in Newark resulted in increased crime prevention awareness and the recovery of numerous stolen bicycles.

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