IMPROVED street lighting, more police patrols on remote walkways and a series of training and education projects are being introduced to make streets safer.

More than £830,000 has been awarded to make improvements in Middlesbrough and Darlington town centres, including improvements to lighting around taxi ranks, bus stops and popular night-time routes.

The funding is part of the Government’s Safer Streets 3 Fund, which will introduce preventative work and improve provision in an attempt to address the issue of violence against women and girls in the wake of the high profile murders of Sarah Everard and Sabina Nessa in London.

Durham Police and Crime Commissioner’s Office has been awarded £453,813 from the Home Office under the Government fund designed to help women and girls feel safer in public spaces.

A share of the funding will allow Durham Constabulary and Darlington Borough Council to work with the Alice Ruggles Trust to develop and roll out teaching packages on stalking and coercive behaviour for secondary schools and colleges.

E-bikes will also be purchased to assist increased police patrols.

Read more: Darlington and Easington receive £830,000 to prevent crime

Durham Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC), Joy Allen, said: “This funding is essential as we need a focus on helping make women and girls feel safe on our streets and look at changing behaviours and attitudes in local communities through partner projects.”

This funding comes as part of the wider Safer Streets Fund, which has seen County Durham and Darlington receive over £1.5m to make streets safer through a variety of projects including clamping down on burglary and other acquisitive crime.

In Middlesbrough, which received £381,771, a dedicated Independent Domestic Violence Advocate (IDVA) will be formed to work with victims of stalking and harassment.

Teesside University has pledged to work around student safety and engagement to keep female students safe, while personal safety apps and alarms as well as mobiles phones will be purchased to help female residents feel safer.

Cleveland PCC Steve Turner said an online survey helped him better understand residents views on street safety.

“More than 81 per cent of females surveyed felt unsafe across the Cleveland Force area,” he said.

“Almost 48 per cent of respondents said they felt “very unsafe” with a further 33.6 per cent feeling “fairly unsafe” in the region’s town centres at night.

Read more: How Northumbria Police are making women feel safe after Sarah Everard’s murder

“This is an appalling figure and highlights not just the scale of the problem of violence against women and girls but also the pressing need to address women’s needs and concerns urgently.

“We hope this funding can help us turn a corner and create the culture change which will lead to women and girls feeling safer in all aspects of their lives.”

“This is an appalling figure and highlights not just the scale of the problem of violence against women and girls but also the pressing need to address women’s needs and concerns urgently.

“We hope this funding can help us turn a corner and create the culture change which will lead to women and girls feeling safer in all aspects of their lives.”

Further information on the Safer Streets Funds can be found at :https://www.durham-pcc.gov.uk/news-and-events/safer-streets

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