Safer Streets Fund - Luton South Ward
Luton Council, with support from the Police and Crime Commissioner, Bedfordshire Police and Partners secured funding from the Home Office under the Safer Street Fund. This was to make sustainable changes to reduce crime, such as:
- burglary
- vehicle theft
- robbery
- environmental crime
- anti-social behaviour
What area is covered in the Safer Street Fund?
Luton Council, with the support of Bedfordshire Police and the Police and Crime Commissioner were successful in an application to the Home Office, for a bid under the Safer Streets Fund initiative. £294,000 was awarded to make improvements, over 18 months within the South Ward of Luton.
What work is covered?
This will include:
- upgrading existing lighting
- installing additional lamp columns
South ward does have CCTV coverage but there are a number of identified locations that were deemed ‘blank spots’. The funding will allow Luton Council to purchase additional units to be installed.
Two alleyways have been identified as being frequent locations of anti-social behaviour and in particular environmental crime (fly tipping and abandoned vehicles). As such, PSPO’s are being proposed to prevent this activity from taking place and the Safer Street Fund permits the purchase and installation of barriers, to assist with the enforcement of the PSPO.
Repeat victims and vulnerable residents will be offered crime prevention intervention. This can include SmartWater home property marking kits and Ring doorbells.
June 2023 update
We’ve held a number of further engagements across the area and liaised with hundreds of local residents about their area, concerns they may have or things which they think may improve the area.
We’ve had 63 new columns installed in and around the area:
There are now nine new cameras for the area:
- six static cameras have been purchased through the Safer Streets funding
- an additional two static cameras in Bailey Hill Court
- one re-deployable camera were funded by Luton Council
A number of the cameras are already installed, with all remaining cameras to go live by the end of June 2023.
Following several public consultations, a PSPO has been granted for the alleyway between Hibbert Street and Arthur Street. The Order will be sealed and gates and fencing will be installed in the coming weeks.
Since we began the rollout of crime reduction materials and literature, across the South ward, we have disseminated the following:
- 42 Ring doorbells (a further 10 have been allocated and additional units have been ordered)
- 127 SmartWater kits have been delivered to households
- approximately 1300 leaflets delivered to properties within the Safer Streets area, letting residents know about the Safer Streets project, plans for their area and contact details
- SmartWater and crime reduction signs have been erected throughout the area, ensuring criminals know that the area is protected by crime reduction resources and helping to make residents feel safer
We undertook a deep clean and repaint of the Castle Street underpass. The underpass is regularly used but can be dark and feels unsafe. Since the deep clean and repaint, the underpass feels brighter, safer and more of a pleasure to use.
Further information
If you have any questions or need any further information please email [email protected].