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South Yorkshire Crime Commissioner invests £460k into park safety

£460k park safety

South Yorkshire Crime Commissioner invests £460k into park safety

South Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner Dr Alan Billings is set to invest £460k into park safety by improving CCTV and lighting in the region’s parks.

The money was obtained from the Government’s Safer Street Fund.

The efforts aim to make women and girls feel safer when they have no choice but to walk alone at night.

After consulting the public, the new equipment will be featured in four locations: Edenthorpe Park (Doncaster), Clifton Park (Rotherham), Dearne Valley Park (Barnsley) and Ponderosa Park (Sheffield).

Dr Billings said: “This is the third pot of money we have successfully bid for this year under the Safer Streets programme, bringing our total for South Yorkshire to in excess of £2m.

“Making the streets a safer place for women and girls is a top priority for me and has been highlighted in my transitional Police and Crime Plan for this year.

“Everyone has a right to feel safe and to be safe in their communities and I am pleased that the Government has also recognised this and is providing us with opportunities for additional funding to make public spaces safer.”

The Police and Crime Commissioner will also be spending £70k on a campaign that aims to target predatory behaviour.

Another £15k will go towards further consultation work regarding safety.

Dr Billings added: “The clear message from the consultation work undertaken is in line with recent national headlines following the sentencing of Sarah Everard’s killer.

“Those surveyed told us that more needs to be done to target the perpetrators, instead of asking women to change their behaviour and take precautions.

“We will be working with our partners to develop clear messaging and educational information to challenge behaviours and instigate cultural change to ensure women and girls feel safe on our streets and in public spaces.”

(Photo: South Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner)

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Lauren joined the Gi Media team in August 2021.