Private and public police in Telford are dovetailing to protect school premises.
Business Watch Guarding runs manned guarding that watches over industrial estates out of business hours, and from the summer of 2000 began guarding 84 schools for the local authority, after a pilot project with 40 schools the previous summer. The mobile guards are an out of hours service to schools, giving 24-hour cover at weekends and holidays. Guarding can be static if a troublesome spot is identified. As the key-holder, the manned guarding firm can offer non-security services, such as letting contractors on site during holidays. Managing Director Bob King set up the original Business Watch in the 1990s after 23 years in the police – he left the West Mercia force with a back injury. As a largely rural force, West Mercia is among those finding its resources stretched. The Business Watch and Schools Watch initiatives are a way of getting the desired effect – freeing the police resources to where they are most needed, cutting crime, and making possible a three-way exchange of information between the police, the private security firm, and the local authority or business. Each side knows the other: for instance, Business Watch guards know how to work smoothly with the police in such matters as reporting procedures. In practice, a business may ring Business Watch about a car being driven around slowly yet not in such an obviously criminal way that would merit a call to the police. Other calls of the same nature may add up to something – maybe criminals from elsewhere investigating an industrial estate for a later break-in. Police and Business Watch are sharing intelligence in a way that does not compromise the police. For example, if Business Watch ring the police about a suspicious vehicle, a police check on the vehicle registration on the Police National Computer may reveal that the car is stolen. The police will reply to Business Watch to keep an eye on that vehicle – without saying why. ?We have a good rapport with the local police,? Bob King says. As with any scheme of this sort – a retail crime initiative is another example – not all possible members take up membership, yet payers and non-payers alike share the benefits. A non-security benefit for members comes in a better insurance package, including reduced rates and interest-free credit. Even if members do not take up the insurance offer, they can put pressure on their insurer to offer a better deal. Members can also take advantage of Business Watch preferred providers, for products and services from CCTV to stationery. Bob?s message about Business Watch is: ?We know it works here and there?s no reason why it can?t work elsewhere in the UK.?
Without a fanfare of trumpets, private and public police in Telford are dovetailing to tackle crime. Business Watch Guarding runs manned guarding that watches over industrial estates out of business hours, and this summer is guarding 85 schools for the local authority, after a pilot project with 40 schools last summer. MD is Bob King, who set up the original Business Watch in the 1990s after 23 years in the police – he left the West Mercia force with a back injury. Today Business Watch Guarding has some 34 guards: eight to ten invovled in the Schools Watch, and seven on the Business Watch schemes. The firm has the basics of a community scheme, as it is starting to have the responsibility for other public buildings next to schools, such as youth clubs.
Desired effect
As a largely rural force, West Mercia is among those finding its resources stretched. The Business Watch and Schools Watch initiatives are a way of getting the desired effect – freeing the police resources to where they are most needed, cutting crime, and making possible a three-way exchange of information between the police, the private security firm, and the local authority or business. Each side knows the other: for instance, Business Watch guards know how to work smoothly with the police in such matters as reporting procedures.
Partnership in action
In practice, a business may ring Business Watch about a car being driven around slowly yet not in such an obviously criminal way that would merit a call to the police. Other calls of the same nature may add up to something – maybe criminals from elsewhere investigating an industrial estate for a later break-in. Police and Business Watch are sharing intelligence in a way that does not compromise the police. For example, if Business Watch ring the police about a suspicious vehicle, a police check on the vehicle registration on the Police National Computer may reveal that the car is stolen. The police will reply to Business Watch to keep an eye on that vehicle – without saying why. ?We have a good rapport with the local police,? Bob King says. As with any scheme of this sort – a retail crime initiative is another example – not all possible members take up membership, yet they share the benefits. A non-security benefit for members comes in a better insurance package, including reduced rates and interest-free credit. The benefits pay for Business Watch membership. Members are seeing the benefits as their renewals are coming up, Bob King reports. Even if members do not take up the insurance offer, they can put pressureon their insurer to offer a better deal. Members can also take advantage of Business Watch preferred providers, for products and services from CCTV to office stationery. Bob?s message about Business Watch is: ?We know it works here and there?s no reason why it can?t work elsewhere in the UK.?
School holidays elsewhere
In Coventry, police are cracking down on city centre skateboarders after a problem raised by city centre management staff. Insp Gary Herrington, who heads the city centre sector, said problems with gangs of skateboarders and in-line skaters had gradually worsened this year. ?Obviously, with the school holidays, the situation escalated and complaints increased. The skaters were causing a lot of damage to street furniture. One marble bench, which cost more than œ1,000, had to be taken away because it was cracked. Police were called in after staff from the City Centre Company who tried to warn off the skaters were met with abuse. Persistent offenders face charges similar to those used for football thugs under Section 5 of the Public Order Act for cases of disorderly behaviour.
