Boost for HALO and CCTV in Hetton

As part of a Northumbria Police area partnership, Sunderland City Council applied to the national Safer Streets Fund in May this year.

The successful bid will see £261,458 put into Hetton's HALO project, including a new CCTV network.

Starting in February this year, HALO - the Hetton Aspirations Linking Opportunities - is seeing the City Council and a range of partners, including Northumbria Police, Gentoo, Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue (TWF&R) working more closely together for the community. It follows a similar and successful project called SARA in Southwick - Southwick Altogether Raising Aspirations.

Hetton's crime and anti-social behaviour work includes moves to tackle youth crime and gangs, including motorbike disorder; building up community engagement and resilience, and the CCTV investment.

Councillor Claire Rowntree is Deputy Leader of Sunderland City Council, Cabinet Member for Clean Green City and a Hetton ward councillor.

She said: "Hetton residents want greener, safer and cleaner streets. While we've seen a continual squeeze on our resources in recent years, we are a listening council and this funding is a welcome boost to our continued work with residents on tackling the issues that we know are important to them.

"Recognising and listening to what residents say, extra CCTV cameras will act as a deterrent to offenders by providing further evidence and intelligence that anti-social and criminal behaviour is not acceptable and offenders face prosecution.

"If you know or see problems around Hetton whether it is littering or fly-tipping or other criminal activity it is always important to report them and this can always be done confidentially."

Work programmes on CCTV locations and installation are being readied for coming months.

Neighbourhood Inspector Steven Passey, of Northumbria Police, said: "This is welcome news as we continue to work successfully in collaboration with our partners to fight crime and keep people safe in Hetton and the surrounding areas. 

"We are already seeing great results through the HALO project - and this funding will go a long way to support us to take further positive action on resident's concerns and build on our success going forward.

"CCTV continues to be a vital resource to policing - not only does this technology help us to identify vulnerability at an early stage - we can also use it to detect, deter and disrupt criminality on a daily basis."

To report issues please contact HALO's Community Engagement Worker, Kellie Richardson on 0788 1202 026 or LetsTalkHALO@sunderland.gov.uk

You can follow HALO on their LetsTalkHALO Facebook page to keep up to date with its work.