Simon Smalley of Top Valley pictured with his new hardened lock.
Brand new security equipment has ensured a Top Valley resident and his partner no longer have to suffer in silence.
Simon Smalley had been the victim of homophobic abuse, harassment, and antisocial behaviour from youths in the area for an extended period of time.
He and his partner finally gave the police a call after the incidents began to pile up, leading to a visit from PCSO Amardeep Sandhu who conducted a full security check of the property and advised on a few additional security devices to protect the property.
Simon, a local writer found out about the Safer Streets scheme when a flyer came through his front door.
“It’s wonderful that the funding is there for such great initiatives to be implemented,” he said.
“Before we were quite unsure of going out in the evenings. For five years or so myself and my partner would receive homophobic abuse from gangs of youths hanging around outside our home, it made us feel incredibly uncomfortable leaving the house.”
The new equipment included powerful motion detector lighting to illuminate the front and side of the home, as well as new heavy-duty padlocks for the garden shed. Alongside their pre-existing Ring video camera doorbell, also a piece of equipment offered by Safer Streets, this has created a far safer environment.
“The result of this on-going work has given residents a sense of safety, particularly those that were victims of repeat burglaries and anti-social behaviour targets. Not only do residents have a feeling of safety, knowing how secure their home now is enables them to sleep better at night” said PCSO Sandhu.
It comes after the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Nottinghamshire secured £3 million of Home Office funding for Safer Streets projects that help reduce neighbourhood crime and antisocial behaviour, as well as violence against women and girls. These are being delivered in partnership with Nottinghamshire Police and local authorities, including Nottingham City Council.
Nottinghamshire Police and Crime Commissioner Caroline Henry said, “It’s amazing to hear Simon’s story, and to know that he is directly benefitting from Safer Streets, alongside our other Safer Streets projects, we’re working hard to ensure residents across Nottinghamshire are safe in their own homes, and while out and about.”
The Safer Streets programme is a continuing partnership between Nottinghamshire Police, Nottingham City Council, and the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner.
Nottingham City Council’s Portfolio Holder for Neighbourhoods, Safety and Inclusion Cllr Sajid Mohammed said: “Nobody should feel trapped in their own home because of the anti-social behaviour of others in their community. I’m pleased that Simon, like many others, has benefited from security improvements through the Safer Streets programme which has vastly improved his quality of life.”
To hear Simon’s story in full please visit - https://youtu.be/DFgI2FrQOho
Posted on Wednesday 2nd August 2023