New CCTV to tackle violence against women and girls

New CCTV cameras will be installed across five locations and a number of car parks in Derby (stock image)

New CCTV cameras will be installed across Derby city centre and a number of car parks in a bid to tackle violence against women and girls (VAWG).

More than £83,000 of government funding has been secured by Derbyshire's police and crime commissioner.

It comes as figures show Derby had some of the highest VAWG-flagged offences in the country during 2022-23 - a fifth of all crime in the city centre at night, the council said.

Councillor Matthew Eyre, who chairs the public protection scrutiny board at Derby City Council, told the BBC the CCTV investment was "good news".

Abbey Street East car park is one location where new CCTV cameras will be installed

Of the figure in Derby, the council said 394 crimes relating to VAWG were reported - including 17 rapes, 139 incidents of violence leading to injury, 75 "other" sexual offences and 50 of stalking.

A council meeting heard five new columns and upgraded cameras will go ahead.

These include two at different points on Thorntree Lane, the junction of Gower Street and Babington Lane and another on Castleward Boulevard.

These cameras can be moved to other locations if required and were described as "state of the art" by the council's acting head of community safety, Pop Gill.

Some older CCTV camera columns will be removed.

Updated cameras in a number of car parks will be installed at:

• Sacheveral Street

• Little City

• Abbey Street East

• Abbey Street

• Drewry Lane

• Darwin Place

• Ford Street

One of the new CCTV columns will be installed close to the junction of Gower Street and Babington Lane

Mr Eyre said the CCTV funding was a "positive" development.

"Any funding for more CCTV in the city centre is good thing - I know that we've got issues in the city centre, with anti-social behaviour, violence against women and girls," he said.

"To have that extra funding to help police these [issues] is a positive."

On the crime statistics for Derby city centre, he added: "[I was] really concerned, to see 20.1% were [VAWG]-flagged offences.

"I hope the leadership of the city council can do even more to tackle this."

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