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Thefts from businesses in a Bradford shopping centre are at an all time low thanks to the Bradford City Centre Beat Crime Partnership, reports West Yorkshire Police.
The partnership which has been operating since 2006 has Neighbourhood Policing Officers, Bradford Council and Bradford businesse, working together to combat shop theft by sharing information about known shoplifters in the city centre.
In the last two months there have been a number of successes with several known prolific shoplifters arrested and one imprisoned for 36 weeks, according to police. On Monday, February 16 for instance there was not one shop theft reported in the city centre.
PC Mark Plovie, who is the Business Crime Intelligence Coordinator for City Centre Beat, said: "PCSO Bernard O’Connor and I monitor daily the movements and activities of all criminals. All the intelligence is immediately fed through to all members and CCTV staff. This has recently led to a number of significant arrests. My message to anyone who commits crime or antisocial behaviour is simple – there is no hiding place. You can expect your photo and details to be circulated to all members, can expect to be banned from member premises and to be named and shamed in the local press. There are people and cameras watching your every move."
David Wood – Security Officer at Marks and Spencers in Darley Street – said: "The crime briefings given by PC Plovie are beneficial to me with regards to putting names to faces of regular and prolific shoplifters in the City Centre. It is also beneficial to us all to know who is on bail or wanted on warrant. As security officers in the heart of the City Centre, we see these people on a regular basis. This leads to them being arrested and taken out of the City. ASBOs also mean a lot to us because persistent criminals are banned from the City Centre. By being a member of the City Centre Beat, we feel supported and work together as one big team which gives us reassurance."
