A FRUSTRATED Hillmorton resident has launched a petition to keep streetlights on all night, in the wake of a spate of thefts.
The petition was sparked by an overnight wave of crime on August 4-5, during which a house in Kingsley Avenue was burgled, and property was stolen from cars and sheds in the surrounding area.
Supporters say streetlights, which have been switched off late at night in Warwickshire since 2012, would help to deter thieves – despite a number of studies showing it would have no impact on crime.
Craig Noble, who started the petition, said he wanted his family and neighbours to feel safe in their own homes.
He said: “We need to do everything we can to help prevent crime. It seems we are accepting the situation and hoping we are not the next victims.
“Prevention is better than cure. When the lights are off, it makes it too easy for criminals to move around, break into someone’s home, car or garage and then get away.
“It is also about people feeling safe when they are walking around the town. Many people work night shifts or early shifts and have to wait for the bus in complete darkness. It’s 2019 and this shouldn’t be happening!”
A spokesperson for Warwickshire County Council (WCC) said it had to take decisions based on hard evidence, and data showed turning streetlights off overnight had no overall impact on crime.
They added the policy had saved £500,000 of taxpayers’ money each year.
Hillmorton County Councillor Yousef Dahmash added: “Sadly, in Hillmorton we have suffered a spate of vehicle crimes in recent weeks with insecure cars and vans being targeted.
“Some people have pointed to the part-night street lighting policy as being a factor and I do understand their concerns.
“The County Council has continually monitored the policy and all the available data – from across Warwickshire, from neighbouring areas and nationally -indicates that it has not led to an increase in crime during the hours the lights are off. This was certainly the conclusion of councillors from all political parties when the policy was reviewed at the council in January.
“The advice from the police is for residents to remain vigilant, to keep vehicles locked and secure and to hand over any CCTV footage of the potential perpetrators.”
Det Sgt Heidi Twynham of Rugby Police said: “We’ve arrested three males aged 17, 18 and 19 who we believe are responsible for all the incidents reported. All have been bailed while enquiries continue.
“Residential burglary is down in the whole of Rugby by six per cent compared to last year, as is vehicle crime.
“Rugby is the lowest in the county for burglary figures and it is important to stress that August 4-5 was a one-off spate of crime over one evening committed by these identified suspects.
“It’s hard to say what impact streetlights would have had. In my view, the positive impact will have come from us arresting suspects which may have stopped the offending in future nights.
“By encouraging members of the public to come forward and report incidents, no matter how minor, it has given us some positive lines of enquiry and the community have really assisted in this investigation.”
Visit https://democratic.warwickshire.gov.uk/cmis5/Petitions.aspx to sign the ‘Turn The Street Lights Back On in Rugby’ petition, which has so far gained 284 signatures.
