Women and girls in Warsop who feel they are in danger will be offered a haven by shops — as part of a package of measures to make people safe in the town.

Around 25 businesses could take part in the Safe Space scheme, which would see them given CCTV cameras and staff training in how to support people who come through their doors looking for help.

They will also display Safe Space signs to give women the peace of mind that help is close at hand while they are out and about.

The scheme is one of a series of safety measures that will be paid for by national Safer Streets funding, after the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Nottinghamshire was successful with a bid for £3m for projects across the city and county.

Other work that will be funded includes installing refuge point cameras at key locations, which are yet to be confirmed. These cameras are monitored 24-hours a day and allow people in distress to press a button on the camera column, which gives them direct access to the CCTV control room to ask for help.

Money has also been set aside to give 190 women free access to the Hollie Guard personal safety mobile phone app. A simple shake or tap can active the app when people are in danger, immediately notifying their chosen contacts, pinpointing their location, and sending audio and video evidence directly to contacts’ mobile phones.

Warsop will benefit from new CCTV cameras, street lighting, and environmental improvements to make people more confident that they are safe in public.

The funding will also pay for automatic number plate recognition cameras to help police catch criminals using the town’s roads.

And it will fund youth work and diversionary activities to prevent anti-social behaviour.

Police and Crime Commissioner Caroline Henry said she was proud to be bringing funding to Warsop from the Home Office’s Safer Streets fund, and her Office was now working closely with Mansfield District Council to implement the plans.

“The Safer Streets fund is all about complementing the work that the police, local authorities, and other partner agencies already do to tackle neighbourhood crime and antis-ocial behaviour and violence against women and girls,” she said.

“The project in Warsop has a particular focus around violence against women and girls, which is something I feel passionately about and is a priority in our Make Notts Safe Plan.

“The Safe Spaces scheme is predominantly aimed at women and girls because they are the people who are most impacted by feelings of safety in public — but anyone who needs help can use the scheme.

“People should never be afraid to go out in our public spaces. With such a comprehensive package of safety measures, this should provide a noticeable difference to people’s feelings of safety in the town.”

The plans for a Safe Space scheme and refuge point cameras follow a similar scheme that was pioneered in Sutton through a previous Safer Streets funding round. This scheme was so successful it has led to towns and cities across the country starting their own versions.

Coun Marion Bradshaw, portfolio holder for Safer Communities, Housing and Wellbeing at the district council, added: “We are looking to deliver support to help people who work in local businesses to be prepared not scared — to enable them to feel empowered to take positive action if they witness an incident in public.

“We are very lucky that there is great community spirit and local organisations in Warsop that we can tap into and build on to improve the quality of life for people there.”

Inspector Kylie Davies, district commander for Mansfield, welcomed the Safer Streets funding, which comes on top of the existing police resource in the area.

“I want to reiterate the comment that these spaces are not just for women and girls. Anyone who feels they are in danger can use the scheme, and know the business and officers will always be on hand to help,” she said.

Rachel Dunlop, of Warsop Computers on High Street, Warsop, said she would be interested in joining the Safe Space scheme and was happy to see the Safer Streets investment coming to the town.

“It sounds like it’s definitely something that Warsop needs,” she said. “If you’ve got fellow shop workers keeping an eye out for people and working together then that’s got to be a good thing.”