MORE CCTV cameras will be installed in Portswood and Shirley in a bid to better protect people after £1m of funding was dished out by the Home Office.

The successful bid comes from the fifth round of the government’s Safer Streets Fund with Southampton, Fareham, Eastleigh, and the New Forest among areas benefiting.

The funding is aimed at tackling neighbourhood crime, violence against women and girls (VAWG) and anti-social behaviour.

It will see the creation of a VAWG information hub to support night-time economy workers in Gosport, Fareham and Eastleigh and elsewhere.

There will be outreach work to protect women in the sex industry via the With You project in Gosport and Fareham.

There will also be an outreach project to engage with 50 young people involved in ASB in areas including Fareham and Eastleigh.

Other plans include:

  • The installation of seven CCTV cameras in rural locations in the New Forest to boost feelings of safety and assist police investigations.
  • Two extra CCTV cameras to be installed on Portswood High Street to combat ASB, theft, street robbery and VAWG offences.
  • Two more CCTV cameras to be installed on Shirley Road to combat ASB, theft, street robbery and VAWG offences.
  • The installation of seven cameras to cover the whole of the car park at Crossfield Hall in Romsey to improve feelings of safety and reduce crime.
  • 3,000 DNA property marking kits for 3,000 households across the project area to tackle burglary.
  • Funding for male coordinators to work with schools in the New Forest to tackle peer-on-peer sexual abuse and exploitation, and a VAWG coordinator to work across four Community Safety Partnerships to ensure projects are successful.

Police and Crime Commissioner Donna Jones, who bid for the cash, said: “This is fantastic news for our communities. It means we can do so much more to tackle neighbourhood crime, reduce the harm caused by violence against women and tackle anti-social behaviour head on.

“I know how distressing these crimes can be and the misery they cause communities. Everyone in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight must feel safe on the streets. This funding means I can do even more to protect the public and make neighbourhoods safer.

“Working with the police and partners, we are building more resilient neighbourhoods and making it harder and harder for criminals to act.”

The Safer Streets Fund was launched in 2020, with the government investing £120 million through four rounds of funding.

The £42 million fifth round, announced in July, means £167 million to date has now been invested in 413 projects across England and Wales.