Community Cashback

Release Date: July 2009

Local businessman needs your help in taking action in the fight against crime for Torbay.

After an incident of vandalism on his property, Adam Nunn owner of Red Rock Café in Goodrington came forward at his local ‘You Said, We Did’ meeting and highlighted his concerns about criminal damage and anti social behaviour in Young’s Park.

‘You Said, We Did’ is an initiative set up by Safer Communities Torbay, a partnership between Torbay council, police and other local agencies. As the title suggests; ‘You said, We Did’ is a means whereby local residents come together to highlight local concerns and Safer Communities develop and implement plans to tackle them.

At the meeting, Torbay Anti-social behaviour team, part of Safer Communities, alerted Mr Nunn’s attention to a government scheme that is asking local communities to nominate projects that they feel best tackle anti social or criminal behaviour in their area.

With the support of Safer Communities Torbay, Adam has put forward a funding application for a mobile CCTV van unit for Torbay, whose addition to the bay would be a valuable tool in deterring anti-social behaviour in trouble hotspots.

The Community Cash Back fund aims to ensure that not only do the community benefit from the moneys taken from criminals, but that they are also the driving force behind what projects receive the funding, nominating the projects in the first place. There is up to £95,000 available across Devon and Cornwall, of which Adam is fighting for a share of these funds.

Adam is keen to get as much support as possible with his application and is urging Torbay residents to get on-line and vote for him; “Community Cashback is all about the people’s voice, only the most voted for projects will receive a share of the funding available. I honestly believe that the addition of a mobile CCTV unit will give us, as a community, the edge over the small percentage of people that is intent on ruining it for us.”

Adrian Leisk, partnership Inspector for Safer Communities Torbay believes the addition of the mobile unit would be a great asset to the bay, saying; “We have seen a substantial decrease in crime reports from areas where cctv has been installed across Torbay.  A unit like this would provide presence in parts of the bay that are not currently covered by fixed camera networks. In addition, its flexible approach means that we would not have a fixed route or times of operation, meaning that potential perpetrators wouldn’t know when or where to expect the van. What is more is the high quality images captured will be permissible as evidence in a court of law.”

Cabinet Member for Community Safety, Louisa Aiton, is fully supporting Adam’s bid for the unit and his proactive approach to combating anti-social behaviour issues; “Fear of crime can have a debilitating effect on a community, stopping residents from enjoying their area and the facilities provided to their fullest. The van’s presence would go a long way to reassure residents and put confidence back into the community.”