Thousands of Northamptonshire homes provided with security packs to prevent crime

Thousands of homes across Northampton and Wellingborough have been given home security packs full of information and items to help them maintain fire safety and prevent crime.

The packs were provided as part of the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, Stephen Mold’s ‘Safer Streets’ project, funded by a £1.375 million grant from the Home Office Safer Streets Fund.

Over 2000 homes across the Portland Place, Kettering Road and Bouverie estate areas of Northampton have been provided with these packs.

A further 520 homes in areas with poorer street lighting and street design will be receiving free crime prevention products including door chains and letterbox guards, which are being supplied and fitted free of charge.

Northamptonshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, Stephen Mold, said: “Preventing crime is vitally important and it is a privilege to have this funding and be able to spend it with residents on tangible measures that add to the security of their homes and make them feel safer.

“I want to do everything I can to make Northamptonshire a safer place and this Home Office award will mean we can make physical improvements in these three communities that I hope will have an enormous impact.”

The security packs additionally contain fire safety information to help people prevent fires in their home. The Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service Prevention team and fire crews from The Mounts will also be talking to people about fire safety in their homes and offering visits to carry out home fire safety checks in the new year.

More than 2,000 packs have already been distributed in the Victoria and Isebrook area of Wellingborough over the last few weeks, where 600 homes have also been fitted with crime prevention devices.

Work is currently underway to consult with residents and fit gates on privately owned alleys that run behind houses.

The Borough Council of Wellingborough is also supporting the project and consulting on the gating of 30 alleys in public ownership to improve safety in the area.

Approximately £545,700 will be invested in the Victoria and Isebrook wards in Wellingborough to provide crime prevention support to residents and to install security gates on alleys behind homes in a bid to reduce burglary, fly-tipping and anti-social behaviour.

In Northampton, £550,000 will be put towards creating safer parking and improved lighting to enhance safety and security in residential areas near the town centre.

The Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner’s office will also be working in Kettering where £280,000 will support the extension of the CCTV system in the All Saints area and roll out crime prevention visits to some residents.

These three areas of Northamptonshire were chosen because they have levels of burglary and vehicle crime that are higher than average for the county.