Two towns in Cornwall are to get almost half a million pounds to help make their streets safer.

The Home Office has announced that Camborne and Redruth will receive £454,000 in what is the fifth round of Safer Streets funding, while Paignton will get £545,000.

It will be used to tackle anti-social behaviour and violence against women and girls in the town centres, and to improve feelings of safety.

The money will be spent throughout the rest of the 2023-24 financial year and throughout 2024-25 on a range of interventions to reduce crime and disorder, with police, councils, businesses and community groups all involved in the work.

Part of the money will be used to buy a high-visibility ‘police community engagement vehicle’.

There will also be improvements to CCTV, including investment in a new CCTV control suite that will provide live monitoring of the streets.

Improvements to the CCTV infrastructure will be prioritised in areas with higher levels of anti-social behaviour and violence against women and girls concerns, as well as alcohol-related violence.

Money will be spent upgrading and installing new street lighting in Camborne and Redruth – described as “critical” to the prevention and detection of anti-social behaviour and violence against women-related crime, as well as the reduction of the fear of crime.

‘Target hardening’ improvements will be made to reduce anti-social behaviour – practical changes such as lighting schemes, planting and equipment designed to prevent reduce the opportunities for such behaviour and incidents of crime.

An anti-social behaviour case worker will provide a visible presence within the area and will challenge such behaviour and crime where appropriate, as well as gather intelligence and share their findings with partner agencies, such as the police and local council.

They will also be able to help look after people’s welfare and point vulnerable individuals in the right direction to access relevant support services.

There will be an educational training package to address behaviour and attitudes towards violence against women and girls, with a focus on making children, young people and adults more confident in understanding certain behaviours that make them feel unsafe, and understanding what they can do about them.

A similar package will address attitudes towards anti-social behaviour, helping relevant teams to engage with young people before it occurs.

Key organisations in the community, as well as those that provide different services to the two towns, will be supported to work with young people and those with multiple vulnerabilities.

Cornwall Council worked with the The Police and Crime Commissioner for Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly worked with Cornwall Council to co-ordinated the application to the Home Office’s Safer Streets fund in the combined bid for Camborne and Redruth.

Falmouth and Truro are areas of Cornwall that have already benefitted from such funding.

Police and Crime Commissioner Alison Hernandez said: “Safer Streets funding has improved CCTV, upgraded street lighting, paid for additional safety officer patrols and supported several community initiatives in locations including Torquay, Exeter, Falmouth, Plymouth, Barnstaple and Truro.

“I am delighted that communities in Paignton, Camborne and Redruth are now going to receive the attention they deserve.

“These vibrant and close-knit communities have relatively low recorded crime rates but they do face some challenges, particularly relating to anti-social behaviour.

“No one should live in fear of crime or anti-social behaviour and I look forward to working with partners on implementing some practical and hard-hitting solutions over the next year and a half.”

Councillor Carol Mould, Cornwall’s portfolio holder for neighbourhoods said: “We are excited to have this special opportunity to support the communities of Camborne and Redruth.

“The impact of anti-social behaviour and crimes such as violence against women and girls can be life-changing. Nobody should have to tolerate or live in fear of it, therefore we welcome the chance to deliver additional measures which will prevent it from happening and offer lasting solutions.”