PRIVACY boxes could be painted on the ground near cash points to improve safety. Stevenage Borough Council has set aside £2,000 in the budget for 2007/08 to paint the boxes around the town. It will now work with banks to get the scheme up and running. Yel

PRIVACY boxes could be painted on the ground near cash points to improve safety.

Stevenage Borough Council has set aside £2,000 in the budget for 2007/08 to paint the boxes around the town.

It will now work with banks to get the scheme up and running.

Yellow boxes have already been used by Greater Manchester police, who found that they helped reduce offences in a 150 m radius of the cash machine by 66 per cent.

It is hoped the boxes will prevent offenders standing too close to cash machine users in order to get their PIN number or see how much cash they have withdrawn.

Liberal democrat councillor Robin Parker, who put forward the idea, said: "I'm pleased that the majority group agreed with us that it is worth doing across the town.

"We would have spent our Liberal Democrat allowance of £5,000 on doing that across the town in neighbourhood centres if it hadn't been agreed.

"I'm glad it's likely it's going to happen. I hope it will add to people's feeling of personal safety in and around cash dispensing machines.