Make it easy for me to get to where I need to go

4. MY NEIGHBOURHOOD WILL BE A SAFE PLACE FOR ME AND MY NEIGHBOURS

The vision

Having neighbours that look out for each other, better lit routes and streets as well as trusted neighbourhood police means we feel safe and secure wherever we are in the area, day or night.

Which means:

• We want Thames Ward to be an area where neighbours look out for each other to help each other feel safe. • All public spaces need to be well-lit after dark – especially footpaths off the main roads like those that connect Riverside and

Thames View (the ‘Shell Path’). • We also want to know that CCTV cameras are maintained to help prevent crimes happening in the first place. • As well as more police ‘on the beat’, we want to see local police stations that are properly staffed with officers who we recognise, know and trust to report crimes or ask questions in-person. • Many of us are parents and we want to feel happy letting our teenagers explore the area independently knowing they’re safe.

Having more exciting activities for young people locally will help keep them out of trouble and create more opportunities for their future.

To help achieve this, BRL will:

• Invest in more CCTV across Barking Riverside • Provide information and an advice pack for residents interested in setting up

Neighbourhood Watch groups • Share plans with local people on how BRL designs safe public spaces that lower opportunities for crime • Share how we use data to understand safety and crime in the ward and build strategies around this that keep residents safer.

Short term indicators of change:

• Space opened for new community police hub if there is demand from the

Metropolitan Police • Amount of CCTV operational in Barking

Riverside • Number of information packs handed out to residents • BRL safety plans made public • Data on crime and safety shared with residents

Long term indicators of change

Residents will: • Feel safe when outside in the local area during the day • Feel safer when outside in the local area after dark • Report a reduction in crime • Be less affected by anti-social behaviour • Be less likely to be affected by serious youth violence

‘I’D PREFER LESS TRAFFIC AS THERE’S LOTS OF INDUSTRIAL VEHICLES ON THAMES ROAD’

“SAFER PEDESTRIAN ACCESS TO BARKING TOWN CENTRE”

“FREE LESSONS FOR CHILDREN TO LEARN TO CYCLE”

“I WOULD ANOTHER ROUTE OUT, FROM THE A13 POSSIBLY A ROUTE TO LINK BARKING TO WOOLWICH SO AS TO DECONGEST TRAFFIC.”