Telford: Safer than Shropshire according to study
The council has welcomed a CCTV training provider’s study that has ranked Telford and Wrekin as the ‘second safest area in the UK’ as its own residents’ survey backs up those findings.
The company Get Licensed has ranked the city and town centres of major UK areas by analysing factors including annual crime rates, year-on-year reductions in crime, and reoffending rates.
The company, which trains CCTV operators, has crowned Sutton in London as the safest place in Great Britain, scoring 8.09 out of 10. Telford and Wrekin came in second, but only just, with 8.0 out of 10.
A spokesperson for Get Licensed said: “Telford and Wrekin postcodes are almost as safe as Sutton, just missing out on the top spot.
“The crime rate is 76.5 per 1,000 people. The area also has 533 public CCTV cameras per 100,000 people, the fourth-highest number of any area in Get Licensed’s index.”
Kingston upon Thames completed the top three.
Telford & Wrekin Council’s deputy leader says there is always more to do but has welcomed the study.
Councillor Richard Overton (Labour, St Georges), who holds cabinet responsibility for highways, housing and enforcement, said: “Telford & Wrekin Council is committed to making the borough a safe place to live, work and visit.
“We work closely with West Mercia Police and support a wide range of community partners to tackle crime, support victims, and improve safety.
“While we know there’s always more to do, we welcome the latest report ranking Telford and Wrekin as the second safest area in the UK.
“This reflects a sustained reduction in recorded crime, now below both regional and national averages, and highlights the impact of our extensive CCTV network and targeted community safety work.
“We understand that not everyone may feel this improvement in their day-to-day lives – and that’s why we remain focused on listening to residents and taking action.”
Telford & Wrekin Council’s cabinet is set to hear the results of its residents’ survey at a meeting on Thursday (September 25).
The majority of those who responded agree that the borough is safe, although the number of people who feel that way at night is lower.
It reports that 88.1 per cent agree that their local neighbourhood is a safe place to live during the day, with 8.5 per cent disagreeing.
This reduced to 67.3 per cent who agreed that their local neighbourhood is a safe place to live at night.
The cabinet report says the council continues to “lobby for increased police and police presence including retention of Police Community Support Officers after 8pm.”
The report says the council has seen a 24 per cent reduction in anti-social behaviour in the last 12 months and its work continues.
The report reads: “Multi-agency working continues to help us tackle crime and anti-social behaviour. During the last 12 months there has been a reduction in crime, anti-social behaviour and fly tipping across Building Safer & Stronger Communities investment areas.”
