£432,000 secured from the Safer High Streets Fund for the city centre and surrounding areas

More than £400,000 will be spent on CCTV cameras, security gates and other crime prevention measures in Hanley after government funding was secured.

Staffordshire Commissioner's Office has been allocated £432,000 from the latest round of the Safer Streets Fund, which is aimed at reducing acquisitive crime such as vehicle theft, robbery and burglary in hotspot areas.

A range of security improvements will now be carried out in Hanley, including:

• static and re-deployable CCTV systems;
• changes to a number of car parks to reduce opportunist vehicle crime;
• the fitting of gates and fencing to increase protection;
• and extra lighting in poorly lit alleyways, rear access routes and building recesses.

Ben Adams, Staffordshire Commissioner for Police, Fire & Rescue and Crime, welcomed the funding award, and hopes it will help city centre businesses bounce back from the pandemic.

He said: "This investment is more important than ever before. We’re working together with partners to attract shoppers, workers and visitors to the city centre and preventing robbery and vehicle crime will help us do this.

"The pandemic has hit most businesses hard, and many have not survived. Reducing crime and the fear of crime is vital to the city centre’s recovery and the wider regeneration of Stoke-on-Trent.

"This investment and the improvement work carried out aim to instil a greater sense of pride and respect leading to an environment where crime and anti-social behaviour are not accepted and actively challenged."