More than £760,000 allocated to make Cumbria's streets safer

The funding was received from the Home Office’s Safer Streets Fund Round Four. Credit: ITV Border

More than £760,000 of funding has been put into making Cumbria's streets safer.

The money, from the Home Office's Safer Streets Fund, has seen new street lighting added in Carlisle and Barrow in a bid to reduce crime and anti social behaviour.

This includes on Mary Street, Collier Street, Rosemary Lane, Keenan Park and Bitts Park Skate Park.

Cumbria’s Police and Crime Commissioner, Peter McCall, said: "It’s fantastic to see the Safer Streets funding being used to shine a light on anti-social behaviour in these communities.

"There are studies that show crime and anti-social behaviour reduce when street lighting is improved so I hope residents in Carlisle and Barrow will see the benefits and feel safer walking the streets and the parks later at night.

"Providing better lighting in the parks will provide our young people with a safe place to spend their time to play sports and meet socially while taking them off residential streets where they can, intentionally or unintentionally, cause intimidation and anti-social behaviour.

"The Safer Streets Fund truly is focused funding to help strengthen our communities, instil a sense of pride in our local areas, reduce crime and make all residents feel safer."

The funding was secured by Cumbria Police and Crime Commissioner Peter McCall. Credit: ITV Border

Chief Superintendent Lisa Hogan, Cumbria Constabulary, said: "We very much welcome the improvements to street lighting in both Barrow and Carlisle.

"This will help prevent crime and anti-social behaviour. It may also increase how safe people feel in these communities.

"Our neighbourhood policing teams across the county work very closely with partner agencies, including the relevant local authority. This work is done to ensure that we improve the quality of life for our communities."

With the new lighting in place throughout Carlisle, police have said that more young people are using the facilities where the new lighting has been put in place.

A county council spokesperson said: "We were delighted to work alongside the police and Crime Commissioner to upgrade the street lighting to help make these areas feel safer and prevent instances of anti-social behaviour.

"These unique locations have allowed us to implement the most recent technology in solar and colour changing LED lighting. This has been our third successful year working in partnership with PCC and we will look forward to continuing this relationship on any future bids."

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