COUNCIL SCOOPS £131,000 IN CRIME-FIGHTING FUNDS

Havering Council has been given £131,000 to tackle crime after a successful bid to the Government.

The cash windfall will be used in a variety of ways to help target burglary across the borough.

The money will help the Council, police and probation service target the borough’s most prolific offenders. Repeat offenders, particularly prisoners who have just been released from a short sentences and who may immediately return to crime, will also be closely monitored by probation officers.

The funds will help with finding them accommodation and employment to keep them on the straight and narrow. Council youth workers will also engage with young people at risk of offending.

Many burglaries are due to people failing to lock uPVC doors correctly and the Council and police will use some funds to continue to promote the message to residents about locking uPVC doors properly.

uPVC multi-lock doors have a central lock which engages additional bolts or hooks when the handle is lifted. However, the door won't be locked unless the key is also turned.

In addition, the Council will continue to promote the Havering Safe At Home scheme. An estimated 7,000 homes in the borough have been fitted with window locks, door chains and door spy holes through the scheme which provides free home security for over 60s and vulnerable residents.

Further funds will be made available to for special analysis of crime trends and hotspots. This will involve looking possible links with similar crimes in neighbouring boroughs.

Cllr Peter Gardner, Cabinet Member for Community Safety, said:

"It is great news that our bid has been successful and this significant sum of money will help us reduce burglary across the borough. Havering is a borough with very little crime and we want to keep it that way."