Bradford City Centre Beat

A groundbreaking new alliance which aims to make Bradford city centre a no-go area for criminals who target local businesses was launched on 3 October 2006.

The new City Centre Beat, a Bradford Business Crime Partnership, will unite retailers, licensees and other city centre businesses with police and partner agencies, including Bradford Council and Bradford Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership, into one co-ordinated body focused on combating crime.

Crime-busting measures being introduced under the new initiative include;

• Establishing a new state-of-the-art digital radio system that will link city centre businesses, allowing them to share information on criminals targeting their premises. Police community support officers and council city centre wardens will monitor the network to provide back up.

• Setting up a hi-tech computer system that will be used to log details of all criminal activity in the city centre. This will create a database that can be shared with members of the new partnership as well as other business crime partnerships in neighbouring areas, to co-ordinate efforts against criminals who target city centres across the region.

• An increased focus on the use of anti-social behaviour legislation to target persistent offenders and ultimately exclude them from the city centre. Any breaches of these orders will be vigorously pursued through the courts.

• Members being issued with an informative membership pack, including photographs of prolific city centre offenders to alert staff to the hardcore of criminals likely to target their businesses.

Insp Baker said: “Crime against business has a powerful influence on the economic prosperity and the quality of life in cities like Bradford. It is bad for business, not only because of its impact on profits, but because, if an area is perceived as unsafe, it discourages businesses from coming into the city, damaging employment opportunities and deterring people from coming to visit or live in the city.

“City Centre Beat is a unique opportunity for businesses to unite with the police and our partners in one common aim. Together we will send out a clear message to criminals who think Bradford city centre is an easy target, ‘You are not welcome here’.”