Over the last few months, I’ve spoken to many residents that have raised concerns around anti-social behaviour and crime in Redhill town centre. I’m therefore delighted to see Redhill benefiting from Government funding to improve community safety. The Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC), Lisa Townsend, has secured approximately £330k for Redhill in the latest round of the Government’s Safer Streets funding.
The money comes from the Home Office’s Safer Streets Fund, which aims to tackle a range of crime, including anti-social behaviour, violence against women and girls, harassment and assault. The funding will focus on Redhill town centre with measures including a Safe Space Hut, YMCA outreach activities for young people, community engagement and an information campaign on anti-social behaviour.
In addition to Safer Streets Funding, Redhill will also benefit from a new Police initiative called ‘Clear, Hold, Build’ which will launch at the end of November 2023. This initiative brings the Police together with other community partners to address serious and organised crime, and improve overall community safety. The tactic comprises of three parts: Clear, which involves targeted enforcement activity (arrests and relentless disruption) to start creating a safer space; Hold, where police maintain a grip on the area to prevent other criminal groups from coming in; and Build, which works to help address underlying causes of criminality in the first place. This tactic is being adopted in Redhill following success in initial pilots elsewhere.
It's really positive to see so much work going on in Redhill to make our communities safer. Clear, Hold, Build is a clear indicator of a stepped-up response to address the crime and anti-social behaviour that impacts residents and local businesses. Initiatives like this can make a real difference to the lives of local people by creating an environment that residents feel safe in.
