Newsletter - Sat 15 Mar, 2025
By David Grantham
Safer Redhill: police say that a year on, the partnership is delivering results. More below.
B-17 memorial: readings from veterans and wreath-laying will feature at a public ceremony (Opens in a new window) this coming Wednesday (19 March) at the memorial glade just off Reigate Hill, on the 80th anniversary of the crash of a Flying Fortress there.
Roads open: Nutley Lane reopened this week, with Thames Water having finished working at the road’s junction with Beaufort Road and Yorke Road. And temporary lights on Reigate Hill for emergency gas repairs by SGN have also gone.
Reigate MP Rebecca Paul has spoken in favour of raising the digital age of consent for social media from 13 to 16 and the banning of smartphones in schools. She told the House of Commons on 7 March (Opens in a new window): “The huge amount of time spent online is incredibly damaging in so many ways. It is no coincidence that we see a mental health crisis in our young people at the same time as mass adoption of smartphones and access to social media.”
Memorial Park in Redhill has some bright new artwork thanks to local artist Uncle Stubble (creator of the tiger artwork in Earlswood), who worked with the creative ideas of 15 students (years 7 to 9) from Carrington School. Reigate & Banstead Borough Council commissioned the work (Opens in a new window) as part of the Safer Redhill project.
The new art (credit: RBBC)
VAT on school fees: Surrey has seen a 9% rise in children switching at Year 7 from the private to the state system, but there’s only been a small drop in the number of families getting their first choice of state secondary school (80.6%, down from last year’s 83.1%); more from Emily Dalton, Local Democracy Reporter here (Opens in a new window).
Music: Americana singer-songwriter Ashtyn Barbaree is performing at the Belfry community stage in Redhill this evening (Sat 15 Mar), supported by alternative folk singer/songwriter Sarah Lily and Sheffield-based alternative rock duo Autumn of Nothing. Details here (Opens in a new window). It’s on behalf of Redstart Community (Opens in a new window), a charity promoting music and performing arts in the Redhill, Merstham, Reigate and Earlswood areas.
Gatton Park Road: SES Water updated its project page (Opens in a new window) this week to say: “Since closing the road on 6 January we have laid a quarter of the total new piping and have also started re-instating the road with tarmac where the new pipe has been laid.” The forecast reopening date for the road remains late May.
Last year a previous pipe burst, causing flooding to some homes in the Colesmead Road area.
Cllr Rich Michalowski recently visited the site, noting (Opens in a new window): “The new pipe is really important to the water supply network, but most importantly it will give confidence to residents that the incident of a year ago won't be repeated.”
Rebecca Paul MP has also been along, adding (Opens in a new window): “I will continue to monitor progress of the project as it’s critically important Gatton Park is reopened on time in light of the impact on St Bede's School, East Surrey College, homes and businesses.”
The on-site machine used for welding the new pipe (Cllr Michalowski)
Police hail Safer Redhill success
One year on from its creation, Surrey Police are crediting the Safer Redhill initiative with reducing crime, increasing community confidence and removing offenders from the streets.
Surrey Police, Reigate & Banstead Borough Council, YMCA and local businesses and community partners, are jointly tackling anti-social behaviour and crime.
The initiative makes us of the College of Policing’s ‘Clear, Hold, Build’ framework, a three-stage approach where police ‘clear’ offenders from an area and work with partners to keep it that way.
Targeted police activities to disrupt and deter criminals followed an initial period of community consultation to decide the most effective action.
Among the statistics, police say 155 arrests have been made for offences such as assault, burglary, drink driving, drug supply and shoplifting.
For April - December 2024, figures provided by the police show total crime in Redhill has decreased 14% against the same 9 month period in 2023. Robbery is down 45%, wounding and assaults causing GBH 43%, shoplifting 32%, sexual assault on females 57%, anti-social behaviour 19%.
Police activities have included joint drugs operations at Redhill train station, plainclothes officers working at night to spot suspicious behaviour, and relationship building through engagement with students at colleges, meet-the-beat sessions, and licensing visits alongside Reigate & Banstead’s joint enforcement team to support premises.
Funding secured through Surrey’s Police and Crime Commissioner office has included £265k of Safer Streets funding and £58k from the Community Safety Fund. Local initiatives have included solar lighting, detached youth work by the YMCA and women’s self defence classes from Redhill Boxing Club.
Surrey Police’s borough commander Jon Vale said (Opens in a new window): “I’m incredibly proud of the efforts of all our partners to address crime in Redhill and help people feel safer in the town. It’s a team effort and I’m grateful to all the businesses, organisations and residents who are supporting this project to take pride in Redhill.
“When our communities look at the number of arrests and charges we’ve made over the past year, I want to reassure residents that it’s through the work we’ve been doing that we’re able to seek out and clear this crime from the town.
“Surrey remains one of the safest counties in the UK and our enforcement activities have had a strong impact in Redhill. Since we began our increased police activity, we’ve seen a significant decrease in crimes such as shoplifting, sexual assaults, serious attacks, robbery and anti-social behaviour.”
Mahjubeen Rabbani, Growing Health Together Redhill and a partner in Safer Redhill, said: “There is definitely a huge improvement in Redhill, there is a stronger trust and connection between people. We have broken down lots of barriers where people feel safer to come out and reach out. People feel safer in reporting crime and this is the key. If we all come together and we actively report and unite as communities, we’re going to make a huge change in Redhill.”
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