Wiltshire people asked to report safety concerns in public places
The county's police are encouraging us to use the StreetSafe service
We're being urged by Wiltshire Police to highlight concerns about safety in public places, but reporting it through an online service.
The force is raising awareness of StreetSafe |newtab), where we can pass on worries about things like poorly lit streets, abandoned buildings, or vandalism, as well as instances where they feel unsafe due to someone following or verbally abusing them.
PC Lisa Draper, Neighbourhood Harm Reduction Unit at Wiltshire Police, said:
“We want everyone living and working in our county to feel safe. However, the police cannot do it alone – we need the public’s help in identifying where the areas of concern are so we, along with our partners, can do something about it.
“A dark alleyway due to a broken street light, a dilapidated building or overgrown shrubbery causing a blind spot on a pavement – these are all examples of things which can make people feel unsafe in their community. And these are all examples of things we want reporting.”
Safer Streets funding has already been used to improve CCTV and lighting in parts of Salisbury and is also been providing night-time economy wardens in the city centre on Friday and Saturday evenings.
Police and Crime Commissioner Philip Wilkinson said:
“Since 2022, my office has successfully bid directly, or support bids for over £3.4M of Safer Streets funding to be invested in Wiltshire and Swindon.
“This has been used to tackle neighbourhood crime, such as burglary, robbery, theft and vehicle theft, as well as reducing violence against women and girls.
“In addition to this, my office also successfully bid for £1 million of anti-social behaviour (ASB) hotspot funding to increase patrols in the areas worst hit by ASB.
“There may be areas where statistics will tell us they are safe, but there’s a world of difference between being safe and feeling safe.
“The data we obtain from StreetSafe will help us to target those areas where communities may feel vulnerable, by allowing them to tell us about the issues making them feel threatened.”