New £500k plan to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour in Burnley

The Safer Streets funding will be used in specific groups of streets and will be aimed at making residents feel safer in their homes.

New CCTV networks, motion sensor lights, secure gates and doors and motorbike barriers are just some of the measures that could be implemented in parts of the Bank Hall and Burnley Wood areas.

The two areas, which each cover a small number of terraced rows, were chosen because of their high rates of crime and anti-social behaviour.

The funding only applies to the two areas and, given the limited resources, will be targeted at the most vulnerable properties within those areas.

It follows a successful joint bid to Lancashire’s Police and Crime Commissioner by Burnley Council, Lancashire Police and other partners which resulted in £549,500 of funding from the Home Office’s Safer Streets initiative. Burnley was one of only two areas in Lancashire to receive the funding.

A report on the Safer Streets initiative will be discussed by the council’s executive on Tuesday December 8th.

Coun. Afrasiab Anwar, executive member for community and environmental services, said: “This money will help make people in the selected streets feel safer and more secure.

“It will be invested in a wide range of measures that will improve the security of their homes and the area they live in. The aim is to deter criminals from operating in these areas and so greatly improve the quality of life for the residents.

“We will work closely with residents in the streets covered by this initiative to make sure this funding is used effectively and efficiently and has the biggest positive impact possible.”

The funding will be used in a three-strand approach to improving the areas security and resilience to crime:

Place: Through a combination of alleygating, improved CCTV and green space improvements the areas themselves will be improved to remove the sense of vulnerability that attracts crime to the area.

People and Property: Residential properties will be offered bespoke home security improvements, from improved locks and new back doors where appropriate, to improved security lighting, improved back gates, and home security kits.

Awareness Raising: Running alongside practical and infrastructure projects we will be looking to engage residents through existing local networks to increase resilience and awareness in the community and add sustainability to the project. This will include a newsletter, resident crime survey, and awareness raising sessions.