Wrexham MP joins police to learn about drive for safer streets

Sarah Atherton, MP for Wrexham, joined Inspector Claire McGrady from Wrexham Town Police and Alison Watkin from Wrexham Council to learn, about the campaign to make Wrexham’s streets safer.

The local Police team, led by Inspector McGrady, are working in partnership with Wrexham Council, following the awarding of over £500,000 to North Wales Police from the UK Government’s ‘Safer Streets’ and ‘Safety of Women at Night’ (SWAN) funds.

In Wrexham, the Police and the Council are using the funding to increase patrols across the town, to install new CCTV and street lighting, to provide for the opening of the Hafan y Dref Welfare on an additional night (Friday), to introduce marshalls at the weekend and provide vulnerability training to licensees.

The Police hope that through these initiatives that concerns about safety can be addressed, making Wrexham a more enjoyable place to socialise and enjoy.

Following Ms Atherton’s visit, Inspector McGrady said:“The Safer Street funding has provided North Wales Police and Wrexham Council with a unique opportunity to directly tackle issues that the public have raised in relation to their safety in the Wrexham area, we have listened and responded with new CCTV and lighting in key areas of the Town and a proactive approach to ensuring visitors at night have a positive experience.”

Adding, Wrexham MP Sarah Atherton said:“I am really grateful to Inspector McGrady and Alison Watkin from Wrexham Council for allowing me to join them for an evening, it is great to see that the funding from the UK Government is being put to excellent use and I was very pleased to hear about the successes so far.

“Wrexham is a very welcoming place, but I know that residents have had concerns about safety, particularly at night. This is why I am particularly pleased that there has been a collective acknowledgement that issues needed to be addressed and, from what I have seen, it is clear that they are being addressed effectively."