Part 1
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REPORT OF THE STRATEGIC DIRECTOR OF HOUSING AND PLANNING
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TO THE LEAD MEMBER FOR HOUSING
ON 16th November 2006
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TITLE: Reducing crime and the fear of crime project – Little Hulton
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RECOMMENDATIONS:
That the Lead Member for Housing approves the procurement of crime
reduction measures in the Little Hulton area as follows;
Target Hardening - £40,000
Street Lighting - £105,000
Fencing - £28,776.40
Footpaths and alley ways - £28,446
That, subject to full consultation, Lead Member for Housing gives
authorisation for the Little Hulton task group to approve future schemes to
enable the remaining funding to be allocated.
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
This report details a number of schemes proposed for the ward of Little Hulton, with
the aim of reducing crime and the fear of crime.
The schemes have been identified through crime analysis and resident consultation.
Each of the schemes proposed have been presented to and approved by a task
group whose members include
Councillor E Burgoyne
Councillor Ryan
Councillor Smyth
John Rooney – Neighbourhood Manager
Victoria Ryan – Principal Officer Market Support
Carol Hall – New Prospect Housing Manager
Inspector Andrew Sutcliffe – Greater Manchester Police
Sgt Teresa Webb – Greater Manchester Police
The total amount of funding proposed for this scheme is £255,000
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BACKGROUND DOCUMENTS:
Home Office Research Study 251 – Effects of improved street lighting on crime: a
systematic review. Available for public inspection
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ASSESSMENT OF RISK: Low – Monitoring is carried out by the Burglary Reduction
Team on a monthly basis to ensure all funding is spent before March 2007.
There has already been a significant fall in the number of burglaries in the area of
Little Hulton, with a 45% drop between January and July this year compared with the
same period in 2005. This is being attributed to targeted policing and work already
undertaken by the Burglary Reduction Team which has included improved fencing
and extra locks, security lighting and burglar alarms in both private homes and public
buildings.
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SOURCE OF FUNDING: £155,000 from Safer Stronger Communities Fund and
£100,000 from Burglary Reduction Public allocation for 2006/7
This scheme has been placed on the formal plan of key decisions.
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LEGAL IMPLICATIONS: Nothing to affect. All relevant planning applications will be
submitted and approved prior to works being carried out.
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COMMUNICATION IMPLICATIONS All schemes will be discussed and approved by
the task group before they are progressed and all residents affected will be
consulted.
PROPERTY: All domestic properties both public and private.
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HUMAN RESOURCES: No additional staff required
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CONTACT OFFICER: Victoria Ryan 0161 793 2759 Victoria.Ryan@salford.gov.uk
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WARD(S) TO WHICH REPORT RELATE(S): Little Hulton
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KEY COUNCIL POLICIES:
Salford’s Community Safety Strategy 2005 - 2008
Salford’s Housing Strategy
The City Council’s Mission Statement is ‘to create the best quality of life for the
people of Salford’. To achieve this Mission, the Council has made 6 pledges to all its
local communities.
These schemes could contribute towards the delivery of many of the pledges,
namely, Pledge 2 - Reducing Crime in Salford, Pledge 5 – Promoting Inclusion in
Salford and Pledge 7 – Enhancing Life in Salford
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DETAILS (Continued Overleaf)
1.0
Background
1.1
Each year the Community Safety Unit carry out a burglary analysis for
the City of Salford. From this report, the ward of Little Hulton is a
burglary hotspot for the 4th consecutive year. The Burglary Reduction
Team have been carrying out works city wide for the past 4 years,
concentrating on those areas highlighted within the community safety
report. Little Hulton is a large area and as such we have only been able
to carry out works in small pockets around the ward. It is the ward with
the highest burglary rate of 37 burglaries per thousand households.
The areas covered within this report are also within the boundaries of
the Safer Stronger Communities Fund.
1.2
Crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED) is a crime
reduction strategy that acknowledges the potential to reduce
opportunities for criminal behaviour through a secure layout and design
of the built environment. CPTED seeks to create a physical
environment conducive to the overall security of the community by
using the following principles;
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Defensible space
Natural surveillance
Promotion of territoriality
Community interaction
Environmental balance
1.3
The scheme proposed within this report follows the principles of Crime
Prevention through Environmental Design and aims to reduce the
number of burglaries in the area as well as reducing other crimes such
as anti-social behaviour.
1.4
Appendix A shows the various types of works that are being offered
under this scheme and details how effective they are in reducing crime
and the fear of crime
2.0
Funding
2.1
The Burglary Reduction Team have secured £140,000 from the Safer
Stronger Communities Fund to go towards reducing crime and the fear
of crime. We also have £15,000 towards reducing nuisance caused by
off road bikes within the area. In addition to this we have allocated a
further £100,000 from the Burglary Reduction allocation for 2006/7.
2.2
Total spend on this project
£255,000
2.3
The schemes detailed under proposals total £206,074.40. The
remaining £48,925.60 is still to be allocated to schemes which will be
identified using crime statistics and through a task group detailed
below.
3.0
Proposals
3.1
These projects aim to reduce crime and the fear of crime by delivering
a package of security enhancements including upgrading street
lighting, target hardening, fencing, alley gating and any other works
identified.
3.2
A partnership approach will be taken in delivering the scheme. A task
group has already been established comprising of Ward Councillors,
Burglary Reduction Team, Greater Manchester Police, Neighbourhood
Management and New Prospect Housing. The schemes detailed within
this report have already been discussed and approved by the group.
3.3
A consultation with local residents has also been carried out to identify
what their perceptions are in relation to crime and anti-social behaviour
and residents affected by any of the schemes under this project will be
consulted individually.
3.4
We are proposing to offer the following works (more details on each
scheme are shown in Appendix B);
Target Hardening - We are proposing to offer target hardening to a
number of the most vulnerable streets at a cost of £40,000
Street Lighting - We are proposing to upgrade the street lighting on a
number of streets at a cost of £105,000
Fencing – We are proposing to provide additional fencing to secure
properties at a cost of £28,776.40
Footpaths and Alleyways - We are proposing to close off and improve
various footpaths and alley ways at a cost of £28,446
Off Road Prevention Scheme -. The total cost for this is £3852
4.0
Timescales
4.1
All the funding identified within this report must be spent by March
2007. Consultations have already begun on some of the schemes
identified and, following approval of this report, all schemes are on
target to be complete by March 2007.
5.0
Recommendations
5.1
That the Lead Member for Housing approves the schemes detailed
within this report.
5.2
That the Lead Member for Housing gives authorisation for the task
group to approve future schemes to enable the remaining funding to be
allocated.
5.3
I am confident that, subject to this approval, the scheme detailed within
this report will reduce both crime and the fear of crime in the ward of
Little Hulton.
Appendix A – Range of works included in the report
Target Hardening - There is evidence that target hardening schemes are a
cost effective way of reducing domestic burglary and fear of crime. Installing
basic security measures has been found to deter offenders and reduce the
likelihood of burglars gaining access to a property. According to the British
Crime Survey, 72% of attempted burglaries failed because of the protection
provided by basic security measures.
When carrying out target hardening works the Burglary Reduction Team
improve security by providing additional window and door locks, security
lighting, burglar alarms, grilles, and many more depending upon the needs of
the property.
Street Lighting - It is thought that improved street lighting may reduce crime
for a number of reasons, the two most popular theories focus on increased
natural surveillance and on the effects of increased community pride.
The improvements in visibility will deter offenders because the additional
lighting means they are more easily seen. In addition to this improvements in
lighting increases street usage and therefore there are more people around to
witness any criminal activity.
Improvements in lighting may improve community pride. It provides a highly
noticeable sign that local authorities are investing in the area thus
strengthening community confidence and cohesion. This in turn may lead
offenders to view the area as improving and that committing crime in such an
area presents a higher risk of being apprehended.
Following Home Office Research Study 251 - a review of the effects of
improved street lighting on crime, key features of five studies showed that
improved street lighting led to decreases in overall crime by 30%.
Furthermore, in two studies, the financial savings from reduced crimes greatly
exceeded the financial costs of the improved street lighting. The review also
showed that that the studies did not find that night time crimes decreased
more than daytime crimes which suggests that the reductions are more likely
to have come from increased community pride rather than increased visibility.
Fencing – The Burglary Reduction Team have successfully used fencing in a
number of schemes, which have resulted in reductions of burglary by up to
75%. Fencing creates defensible space for residents, ensuring that there are
clear boundaries between public and private space. It can help to reduce the
number of access points a criminal can use to enter a property and reduce the
number of “rat runs” within an area, forcing any criminal activities into areas
where there is more natural surveillance.
Problem Footpaths and Alleys – The gating of problem footpaths and alley
ways works in a similar way to fencing. It restricts access to the rear and sides
or properties and reduces the number of “rat runs” within an area. In a recent
survey carried out in Salford, 98% of residents said that alley gating schemes
we’re effective in reducing the fear of crime.
Appendix B – Details of proposals
Target Hardening - We are proposing to offer target hardening to the
following streets at a cost of £40,000
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Carrfield Avenue
Wildbrook Road and Dovecote Lane
Wellstock Lane
Moorhey Road
Street Lighting - We are proposing to upgrade the street lighting on the
following streets at a cost of £105,000
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Circencester Close
Elkstone Avenue
Earlesdon Crescent
Wellstock Lane
Greenhayes Road
Bank Lane
Parkway
Pennington Close
Hallstead Avenue
Fencing – We are proposing to provide additional fencing to secure
properties on the following streets at a cost of £28,776.40
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Wildbrook Road
Cleggs Lane
Walbrook Close
Wolver Close
Kirkham Street
Footpaths and Alleyways - We are proposing to close off the following
footpaths and alley ways at a cost of £28,446
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Carrfield Av to Mcr Rd Footpath
Briarhill Grove Footpath Closure
Dovecote Lane Footpath
76 – 92 Cleggs Lane Alley Gating
48 – 74 Cleggs Lane
214 – 298 Cleggs Lane
422 – 442 Manchester Road
Off Road Prevention Scheme - The areas of Ashawe Terrace, Kenyon
Terrace and Kenyon Grove have been suffering noise pollution from off road
motorbikes. A number of vehicles are being stolen from the Little Hulton area
and driven over the field on to the Old Coal Mining area where criminals take
parts they want and then set fire to them. All these issues are affecting the
quality of life for local residents. We are proposing to install metal concrete
filled posts between existing boulders in order to prevent access and provide
kneel rails with a robust steel construction in areas that are being used as
access routes for the stolen vehicles. The total cost for this is £3852