Renewed Cassiobury Park CCTV and lights calls to boost safety

A petition in January this year received 129 signatures and called for lights and cameras in Cassiobury Park, particularly along the paths commuters from central and North Watford use to get to Watford Station, but campaigners were left disappointed.

However, similar park safety measures being announced elsewhere in Watford have sparked renewed calls. Sheraze, who started the petition after she was taken to hospital after an assault in the park in November 2022, shared some of the comments petition signatories sent to her this week.

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Many said they walk around the park to avoid it when it is dark due to safety fears and some added that they would use Cassiobury during their commute later into the year if it was better lit, avoiding the “real pain” of taking the longer route.

One signatory said: “As a single parent and mother of two daughters I do not feel safe walking in the park with them in the winter months.

“That is such a shame as I would prefer to walk away from traffic pollution and noise.”

“Watford Borough Council have missed an opportunity,” another added. “People will not do it [cross the park to the station] in the dark as it is not safe.”

Cassiobury Park (Image: Watford Borough Council)

During a Watford Borough Council meeting on March 16, council leaders had said Cassiobury Park had not been identified as an “anti-social behaviour hotspot or high-risk area for crime”, but confirmed the matter was being monitored.

Concerns over cost and potentially taking the park from semi-rural to urban were raised during the meeting.

The petition was then discussed at a council meeting again when the latest park lights and CCTV were announced. However, it was confirmed that the new measures would not cover the whole of Cassiobury Park.

Instead, the lights, added as part of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, would be between the car park and the park’s hub. Beyond the use of that fund, future Cassiobury Park safety measures were not ruled out.

Vicarage councillor Sara-Jane Trebar said: “It is disappointing it is being put into some areas but not others. It feels like the residents aren’t being listened to.”

“It feels like it’s not being taken seriously,” the Labour councillor added. “We need action.”

Sara-Jane Trebar

Watford mayor Peter Taylor said: “Our top priority is always ensuring that Watford remains a safe and welcoming place for everyone.

“We fully understand the request for additional security measures, such as CCTV and lighting, in specific locations.

“This is something our Community Safety Partnership, which includes the police, is continually assessing.

“We have taken the step of installing additional lighting in Cassiobury Park and have agreed funding for CCTV in Watford Fields. I hope this will help people feel safer, as well as discourage antisocial behaviour.”

Police recorded five violence or sexual assault crimes and five robberies in Cassiobury Park up to July this year, according to police.uk data.