Rotherham Council has installed a series of new, innovative lighting along a popular route in Clifton Park to help residents to feel safe when walking through the park.
The programme, funded by the Government’s Safer Streets Fund, has seen state-of-the-art lighting installed alongside the path in Clifton Park which leads from Middle Lane to Clifton Park Museum. The lighting will make it easier for users to see without disturbing nearby wildlife and housing.
It is hoped that the new lighting will provide a safer environment and allow residents to feel more confident utilising the space at all times, as well as enabling users to enjoy the park for longer.
Along with the lighting, new CCTV has also been installed throughout the park to prevent and detect crime in the area.
Rotherham Council’s Cabinet Member for Corporate Services, Community Safety and Finance, Cllr Saghir Alam, said: “It is really important that residents in Rotherham feel safe in their neighbourhoods and the funds from the Safer Streets Fund will enable us to make a popular daytime route feel safer and give confidence to residents who already use this as a throughfare. The Council is committed to making every neighbourhood a thriving place to live, where residents feel safe and can keep healthy.”
The Government’s Safer Streets Fund is being administered by South Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner (SYPCC). As part of this funding, a number of trial projects are being carried out in Rotherham, Sheffield, Barnsley and Doncaster.
The funding aims to improve the safety of public spaces for all with a particular focus on areas of potential concern to women and girls.
South Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner, Dr Alan Billings, said: “I was pleased to visit Clifton Park and see first-hand how the addition of CCTV and improved lighting will help to deter crime in the area.
“As part of the Safer Streets application, a public consultation highlighted a drop in confidence at night and highlighted that parks and woodland areas were the areas where women felt most unsafe.
“Tackling violence against women and girls (VAWG) is one of the priorities in my Police and Crime Plan and this Home Office funding will go some way to disrupt criminal activity and protect women and girls from violence in South Yorkshire.”
Following a public survey and looking at crime data, South Yorkshire Police found that parks were highlighted as areas that would benefit from intervention.
Consultation with local women’s groups showed a preference for parks to be made safer after dark, as well as the need for more innovative lighting solutions - which provide disperse lighting over wider areas as opposed to traditional streetlighting.
The Council and its partners have a range of strategic objectives through the Safer Rotherham Partnership which this project will contribute towards. These include reducing crime and anti-social behaviour, tackling serious and organised crime and protecting vulnerable people.
Further information about the funding and other community safety projects happening in Rotherham, go to www.rotherham.gov.uk/community-safety-crime.