Commissioner Secures Financial Boost to help Fight Crime in the Salthouse Area of Barrow

Cumbria’s Police and Crime Commissioner, Peter McCall has secured £436,994 from the MOJ’s new Safer Streets Fund, a £25 million scheme aimed at tackling burglary, robbery and theft in crime hotspots. The fund will help to put in place preventative measures to stop such crimes from happening in the Salthouse Road area of Barrow.

The Home Office have recently highlighted that acquisitive crimes, including burglary, robbery and theft, make up around 60% of all crimes. The fund focuses on residential locations and targets specified areas where there is a disproportionate and persistently high crime rate of acquisitive crimes.

Peter McCall comments: “This funding is a great opportunity to help to prevent crime and make some of our vulnerable communities safer in Barrow, at a really important time.

“We have been working closely with the Constabulary and partners to identify key local hotspots in Barrow and have identified measures that will help to make the communities in the Salthouse Road area safer.

“The funding will be used to reduce residential burglary offences and the campaign includes some wide reaching preventative measures such as the completion of a crime prevention survey, new recruitment of community volunteers, installation of new street lighting in the back alleys and an upgrade of existing street lighting across the whole area. 

“This funding is going to make a real difference to this community as it is rolled out over the next few months.  We are really looking forward to working with the community as it becomes stronger and more resilient in making the steps to become a safer environment.”

Sam Plum, Chief Executive at Barrow Borough Council added: “This is great news for the people living in the Salterhouse Road area of Barrow and will really improve the quality of their environment which they live.

“Not only will be the funding work towards helping to prevent crime which is really important, the key area is the community volunteers who will be recruited and trained to help maintain the improvements and build a resilient supporting local community group.  This is to be delivered by March 2021 and will make a real difference.”

Inspector Gareth Jesson, Cumbria Constabulary, said: “We welcome the announcement that funding will be provided to support our efforts to prevent crime in the Salthouse Road area in Barrow.

“Crime has a lasting impact on victims and the communities they occur in. By working together effectively we will be able to prevent crime before it happens, leading to less victims and a better quality of life for local residents.”

For a full report follow this link:

www.gov.uk/government/news/safer-streets-fund-to-tackle-burglary-and-theft