Welcome to the first Safer Redhill enewsletter. We want to keep you up to date with the work we're doing together to create a safer town centre for all our communities.

You're receiving this email having been an attendee at one of our events or presentations. As you know, partners from business and community organisations, as well the police, the borough council and other public sector partners have come together to develop plans following the successful bid for £265k of government's Safer Streets funding. This work also includes plans to adopt the College of Policing’s ‘Clear, Hold, Build’ framework to reduce the harm caused by crime in the town.Thank you to everyone who who has participated to date and contributed to some really valuable discussions.

Work has continued to develop a programme of activity to improve community safety and encourage people to take pride in Redhill. We hope you find this update useful and, of course, we welcome your feedback. We plan to hold another stakeholder event in late May and will let you know details as soon as they are confirmed.

Earlier this week we had our first look at YMCA East Surrey's new Y bus, which will be taking their youth workers into the heart of local communities to build positive relationships with young people. The bus will provide a focal point for activities, information, advice and support on issues such as staying safe, peer pressure and mental wellbeing.

Safer Streets funding has contributed two-thirds towards the cost of the bus and is paying for YMCA-led youth outreach sessions four times a week in the areas of Redhill where young people are likely to hang out. The Y bus will be making its first stop in Redhill town centre on Thursday 11 April, after it receives the final finishing touches to the interior and colourful new branding. Everyone is welcome to come along to take a look and meet the team.

YMCA East Surrey’s youth workers have been out in Redhill town centre since December engaging young people in their space, with a view to building up rapport and offering information, support and activities.

Marlon is one of the YMCA youth workers who is out in the community on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays after school. He said: “I see youth work as a privilege rather than a job. Some might find groups of young people intimidating but, in my experience, they want to reach out. I take it as a challenge to get stuck in, try to break the ice and open up the lines of communication. It’s rewarding to be able to offer young people new and exciting ways to grow and develop so that they can respect themselves and influence others.”

Police enquiries are continuing following the serious assault that took place on Station Road last Tuesday afternoon (5 March). The victim remains in hospital in a serious but stable condition. Two 15-year-old boys have been arrested and we are actively searching for a third man.

Reigate and Banstead Borough Commander Inspector Jon Vale said: "We recognise the impact that this incident will have had within the local community, and would like to reassure residents that we are doing everything possible to identify and locate those involved, and ensure they are brought to justice. We have increased patrols in the area, and I would urge anyone with any concerns to talk to one of our officers. We would like to thank those who have already provided us with information and we are continuing to appeal to anyone who was in the area at the time of the incident or has any further information which could assist with our ongoing enquiries to please contact us. If you do not wish to speak to police you can call independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”

Surrey Police would like to speak with Kallum Etienne, 18, in connection with our investigation. Kallum is described as mixed race, of slim build, around 5 foot 4" tall with brown curly hair and brown eyes. We would appreciate any help to share our appeal:

A local survey conducted by Surrey Police in Redhill last year highlighted that many members of our community expressed concern around drug-related issues in our town centre. Here's a police update on some of the proactive measures taken recently to target county lines drug dealing and safeguard those who are vulnerable to exploitation.

Activity has ranged from increased foot patrols in the town centre, with support from the borough council’s Joint Enforcement Team, to targeted warrants at residences of suspected drug dealers. Over the past month, our Uniformed Proactive Team has been focusing on this issue throughout Reigate & Banstead, leading to 16 drug related investigations and multiple arrests. Two of these arrests occurred just this week in Redhill. Five people have been charged with drug supply offences. Alongside apprehending suspects, our local team actively engages with young people in schools and youth settings. We educate them on how to watch out for their friends and seek help if they find themselves in trouble.

Additionally, we’ve been reaching out to previous victims of cuckooing - a situation where the home of a vulnerable person is taken over for drug dealing or other criminal activities. To safeguard these individuals, we utilise closure orders that prohibit access to a property. Last week, we arrested a man for breaching one of these protective orders.

PSPOs give local councils and police additional powers to tackle anti-social behaviour (ASB) in specific locations to regulate activities that negatively affect the local community. The Redhill town centre PSPO was introduced by the Council in 2017 because of local concerns about ASB in the area and it must be reviewed every three years. The PSPO includes the pedestrian shopping area, Redhill Memorial Park and the area around the railway pedestrian underpass. Following the latest review in 2023 the PSPO was extended to also include Clarendon Road car park. 

The PSPO means that a person will commit an offence if they fail to comply with a request by an authorised officer to cease any of the controlled behaviours within the specified area – it could result in either a Fixed Penalty Notice being issued, or prosecution.

CCTV is one of a range of measures that can support community safety when used appropriately and proportionately and there are public realm CCTV cameras owned by the Reigate & Banstead Borough Council in operation in Redhill. 

New upgraded cameras were installed in Memorial Park and Clarendon Road car park in 2023, as these are areas with little or no surveillance from privately owned CCTV. There are also cameras in Redhill town centre, which the Council can confirm are in operation and images are being sent to the police when requested. Although these cameras were earmarked for decommissioning, the decision was made to pause this work and put in place local recording functionality, while we review usage of these cameras and work with the police to understand the strategic benefit of CCTV in all the borough's town centres. This review will also consider cover provided from a wide range of private CCTV.