New measures to end two years of indecent exposures along Woking canal
More CCTV cameras and signs will be added to a stretch of the canal in Woking which has been the site of several indecent exposure incidents towards women and girls in the last two years.
Funding awarded as part of the Safer Streets programme from central government is being used to improve the safety of women and girls along the Basingstoke Canal, following a bid submitted earlier this year.
Nearly £175,000 has been awarded and will cover the installation of more CCTV cameras and signs along the footpath, clearing of bushes and graffiti and four new e-bikes which will be used for community and police patrols along the canal.
The money comes at a time of sharp focus on the safety of women and girls following revelations last week about how Wayne Couzens used his status as a police officer to kidnap Sarah Everard.
Surrey Police, Woking Borough Council and other organisations will work to improve the security of this area. A “Canal Watch” group has been set up by police which will also receive some of the funding.
Councillor Debbie Harlow, Woking Borough Council’s Portfolio Holder for Community Safety, said: “Women and girls, along with everyone in our community, have the right to feel safe, whether that’s on our streets, in our public spaces or recreational areas.
“I welcome the announcement of this crucial government funding that will go a long way in providing additional security measures along the Basingstoke Canal towpath, in addition to supporting the ongoing Canal Watch initiative.”
Since July 2019 women and girls in the area have been targeted with a number of incident exposures and suspicious incidents.
Surrey Police and Crime Commissioner Lisa Townsend said: “Ensuring we improve safety for women and girls in Surrey is one of my key priorities so I am delighted we have secured this crucial funding for the project in Woking.
“During my first week in office back in May, I joined the local policing team along the Basingstoke Canal to see first-hand the challenges they have in making this area safe for everyone to use.
“Sadly, there have been a number of incidents of indecent exposure which have targeted women and girls using the canal path in Woking.
“Our police teams have been working really hard with our local partners to tackle this issue. I hope this extra funding will go a long way to supporting that work and will help make a real difference to the community in that area.
“The Safer Streets Fund is an excellent initiative by the Home Office and I was particularly pleased to see this round of funding have a focus on enhancing the safety of women and girls in our neighbourhoods.
“This is a really important issue to me as your PCC and I am absolutely determined to make sure my office continues to work with Surrey Police and our partners to find ways to make our communities even safer for everyone.”
The Home Office’s Safer Streets funding has shared around £23.5m across England and Wales for projects to improve safety for women and girls in local communities.
Safer Streets funding has previously been used in Spelthorne and Tandridge to improve security and reduce anti-social behaviour in Stanwell and tackle burglary offences in Godstone and Bletchingley.