New railings at Greenhead Park to reduce crime at night

Nov 21 2009 by Barry Gibson, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

GREENHEAD Park will shut at dusk each night when its restoration is complete – and that means it will close at 4pm in winter.

This was revealed as it emerged that railings are now being installed around the Victorian park as part of a £5.4m refit.

Some £747,000 is being spent on walls and railings at the park.

Workers began installing the Buxtonia railings this week. The steel structures are manufactured by Derbyshire company Dorothea Restorations Ltd.

A mile of railings just under 4ft high will be installed in the stone boundary wall by next summer. When the work is complete, the park will shut at dusk each night.

Robert McGuin from the Friends of Greenhead Park supports the extra security measure.

He said: “We live in a chaotic world with lots of antisocial behaviour and I think adding railings will reduce crime in the park.

“A lot of bad things happen there at night like drug-taking and innocent people being attacked so I think it will be good to have the park closed.”

Mr McGuin, a former chairman of the Friends of Greenhead Park, believes the extra security will be even more vital when the park is fully redeveloped.

The Marsh man said: “There’s no point spending all this money if the park isn’t going to be protected.”

However, the police officer responsible for the park denied the area was unsafe.

Acting Insp Gareth Crossley said: “The park at the moment is not in any way, shape or form a hotspot for crime.

“People should always be aware of keeping their belongings safe and be aware of those around them.

“However, the fear of crime is much greater than the reality. We live in a safe town.”

But Insp Crossley, who leads the 28-strong Huddersfield North Neighbourhood Policing Team, believes the railings will help.

He said: “They will make people feel that the park is secure. Anything that reduces the fear of crime is a good thing.”

Insp Crossley added that crime was falling in Kirklees. He said: “There’s the occasional headline incident but robbery is down one third and overall crime has dropped by 16%.”

The original railings – similar to those at Beaumont Park – are believed to have been removed in the 1940s to contribute to the war effort.

Kirklees Cabinet Member for culture and leisure Clr Mary Harkin is happy the work is underway.