New Worksop CCTV helps police in attempted rape investigation

Police were called to The Canch, Worksop, at around 2.10am on November 14 and arrested a suspect shortly afterwards.

Detectives from Nottinghamshire Police carried out an investigation, including analysing footage from the new CCTV cameras, funded by Safer Streets, which are capable of zooming in up to 400 metres, before charging a 51-year-old man with attempted rape, assault occasioning actual bodily harm and robbery.

He appeared at Nottingham Magistrates’ Court on November 16 and was remanded in custody to appear at Nottingham Crown Court. He is currently awaiting trial.

The Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Nottinghamshire has so far secured four rounds of Safer Streets funding from the Home Office to pay for initiatives to prevent neighbourhood crime and antisocial behaviour, and violence against women and girls.

A total of £3m was secured in the latest round of funding in July, which is the highest sum given to any county area nationally.

The Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner has been working hard with local authority partners including Bassetlaw District Council and Nottinghamshire Police to implement a series of projects with the funding, including employing street wardens, installing more CCTV and automatic number plate recognition cameras, as well as street lighting, Shopwatch radio schemes and Safe Space schemes in shops.

The CCTV cameras used as part of the attempted rape investigation were installed as part of a previous round of Safer Streets funding for the Worksop South and Sutton-in-Ashfield areas to enhance the safety of women and girls.

Through this, 27 CCTV cameras (15 new and 12 upgrades) were erected in hotspot locations where women had identified feeling unsafe and vulnerable.

During her Walkabout Wednesday in Worksop today, Commissioner Henry visited the camera which helped the police investigation.

She said: “Violence against women and girls is a key part of my Make Notts Safe plan and hearing real-life stories of our funded services helping women in distress really emphasises how vital of an issue this is to tackle.

“It is an issue close to my heart and I want women and girls across Nottinghamshire to know there are provisions in place to help them if they are ever in need.”

Local businessman Scott, from Tasty Grill, spoke with the Commissioner about how impressed he is with the progress happening in Worksop.

He said: “My customers who were scared to come into town because they didn’t feel safe have said that it has all changed now.

“It’s looking really good, businesses are picking up, shops are happy and I’ve noticed a real change in my customers, they always tell me how much better it is now and how much safer they feel.

The latest Safer Streets funding has also seen funding allocated to Worksop, where further measures are currently being implemented.

Three wardens have started in post to patrol the streets of Worksop and tackle antisocial behaviour such as street drinking, substance misuse and aggressive begging.

They have the powers to issue fixed penalty notices and will report incidents to Nottinghamshire Police and Bassetlaw District Council’s Antisocial Behaviour Team.

The Canch and Chapel Walk are two hotspot areas which will be given new and upgraded lighting by the end of the January.

As well as this, Women’s Aid have been actively delivering sessions to licensed premises staff in Worksop throughout December 2022 and into the New Year on how to keep women and girls safe.

Two refuge points are also going to be put in the town centre, which are 4G HD Safer Refuge CCTV cameras providing direct access to the police control room at the push of a button.

These have already been a success in Ashfield – the first-ever cameras like it in the country - and are now being replicated nationwide.

David Armiger, Chief Executive of Bassetlaw District Council said: “The Worksop Safer Streets projects have allowed us to invest in increased CCTV capacity in the Town Centre and to provide new street wardens.

“This is part of our ongoing commitment to create an environment where people, and in particular women and girls can feel safer.”

Inspector Hayley Crawford, Bassetlaw District Commander, said: “The installation of the cameras are incredibly helpful to officers and provide an added resource to help track down suspects when they're investigating a case.

"They will also help act as a deterrent to those who are thinking about committing crime in the area.

“This case is still ongoing and the officers working on this case have worked incredibly hard to bring a charge and put a suspect in front of judges in court.

“Our main goal is to keep people safe and thanks to the added resources and equipment that the Safer Streets scheme gives us we are able to carry on working to keep the people of Worksop safe.”