COMMUNITY safety patrols will continue across Basingstoke and Deane after borough council chiefs decided to support the scheme despite county-wide funding cuts.

As previously reported by The Gazette, Hampshire County Council is ceasing funding of its Community Safety Patrol Officers across the county in December.

The service offers a non-emergency service, providing highly visible patrols from officers in marked vans and on foot to provide a reassuring presence in the community.

Since 2010, the county council’s service has been helped by additional staff provided by the borough council – the only district in Hampshire to do so.

Under the agreement between both councils, a minimum of 16 staff – six funded by the county council and 10 by the borough council – are managed by the county council as part of its Hampshire service.

However, following the cuts, the borough council has pledged to spend £500,000, including £85,000 of additional money to increase its part of the service, to ensure 12 patrollers will continue to man the streets.

Under new operational arrangements, the service will now be managed by a community safety services co-ordinator, who will also oversee the council’s CCTV in Basingstoke town centre, bringing together these reassurance measures.

In addition, the council has earmarked £115,000 in its draft budget to replace the ageing CCTV cameras at the Top of The Town after a review found that they played a significant role in deterring anti-social behaviour, stopping incidents from becoming more serious, and making people feel safer.

This is part of the council’s longer term desire to further integrate the monitoring of these cameras with others across the town.

Councillor Ranil Jayawardena, deputy leader of the borough council, said: “Residents tell us that low levels of crime and anti-social behaviour are important in making our area such a great place to live.

“Our patrol officers work closely with communities and the police, carrying out high visibility patrols, deterring and combating anti-social behaviour.

“Since we introduced community safety patrol officers, we have seen crime and anti-social behaviour drop to a record low level. We want to ensure that crime levels stay down.”