WORK to prevent sexual assaults and incidents of indecent exposure on the Basingstoke Canal towpath has earned Surrey Police a prestigious award from the Home Office.

The county force won the Business Support and Volunteers category in the Tilley Awards for a project that involved installing extra CCTV cameras and signage, as well as setting up Canal Watch – local volunteers patrolling the towpath to deter and report suspicious behaviour to the police.

It followed a spate of assaults and incidents of indecent exposure to women and girls along the towpath over about 18 months from 2019.

As part of the initiative to improve safety, overgrown shrubbery was cut down and graffiti was removed.

Canal Watch is led by Sergeant Ed Lyons, from the Woking Neighbourhood team, based on a similar scheme in the West Midlands.

Sgt Lyons said: “We are really proud of the work around the Basingstoke Canal that has been completed over the past two years.

“A multi-agency problem-solving approach was completed and the work has led to a lasting change, and we are immensely proud in receiving a prestigious Tilley award.”

The work, which also included the purchase of four e-bikes for community and police patrols, was paid for by £175,000 in government funding secured by Lisa Townsend, the Police and Crime Commissioner for Surrey.

Surrey Police also won the Neighbourhoods category in the Tilley Awards for tackling a rise in catalytic converter thefts in and around Surrey.

An awareness campaign, involving social media, videos, signs, flyers and presentations led to a huge increase in reports of the crime, which led to 13 arrests and a subsequent fall of nearly 64% in catalytic converter thefts.

Surrey Police Temporary Assistant Chief Constable Alison Barlow said: “This is a huge achievement for our force, and a reflection of the hard work and dedication to all those involved in both projects who have kept the public safe through innovative problem-solving in partnership with others.”

Next month, both Surrey Police teams will join the other Tilley award winners in making presentations at the National Problem-Solving Conference to a panel of judges, who will pick an overall winner. This winner will then be put forward for an international award.