Raft of extra safety measures planned for Salisbury
The Police and Crime Commissioner's secured Home Office funding
Almost £1 million of Home Office funding is coming to Wiltshire for projects to tackle neighbourhood crime, with a raft of new measures planned for Salisbury.
The cash has been given to the county's Police and Crime Commissioner, with the aim of preventing things like burglary, robbery, thefts, and reducing violence against women and girls.
Twelve separate schemes will be supported across Wiltshire as a result, following consultation with Wiltshire Council, and partners like Dorset & Wiltshire Fire, the NHS and local charities.
What will that mean for Salisbury?
There's funding for night-time economy wardens in the city on Friday and Saturday evenings, along with Welfare And Vulnerability Engagement training for staff in licenced premises.
Four 'deployable' CCTV cameras will also be brought in for Salisbury.
The area around the back of Salisbury Playhouse will see a project aiming to prevent cases of anti-social behaviour there.
There's cash as well for a 'large programme of detached youth work and mentoring' in the city.
Police and Crime Commissioner Philip Wilkinson said:
“The latest figures show we’ve seen a 15% increase in knife crime compared to a 3% rise nationally in Wiltshire.
“We need to get to the root cause of these offences and engage with young people before they’re dragged into situations they find difficult to get out of.
“This latest investment will allow my office, our new Serious Violence Duty Co-ordinator and our partners to work towards that goal through these projects.
“The projects address the issues that matter to people, such as anti-social behaviour, making the streets safer for women and girls, and burglary and robbery. This focus on prevention backs the work of Wiltshire Police as they get tough on offenders, reducing the number of innocent people becoming victims.
“By using this funding from Government efficiently and effectively, working in partnership, we will see projects that make a positive difference in these areas, delivering the priorities in my Police and Crime Plan to reduce violence and serious harm and to tackle crimes that matter to local communities.”