Avon and Somerset Police, Bristol Crime Reduction Partnership (BCRP), Bristol City Centre BID, and Broadmead BID joined forces in March to hold two Safer Business Action (SaBA) days. These were 2 of over 200 days conducted by over 30 police forces across the UK. These days of action were supported by the National Business Crime Centre and held as part of Retail Crime Month of Action.
The objective was to hold targeted operations in the city centre to help tackle retail crime and anti-social behaviour impacting businesses. Through building rapport with local businesses, a SaBA day focuses on building public and business confidence in the police and the crime prevention activity in place.
During March, members of the BID teams joined Avon and Somerset Police to visit businesses in the city centre. The first day of action focussed on retail venues in the city, with the second focusing on night-time economy venues. These dedicated days provided a safe and professional environment for the police and BID teams to liaise with businesses effectively, allowing dedicated time for questions and discussion of any relevant issues. The BID team and police were able to inform businesses of the support available, including ways of reporting crime, and explaining the use of Disc and the Bristol City Centre Radio Scheme. The police provided support to these businesses for this dedicated period and distributed handouts with further crime prevention advice.
As a result of the SaBA day on 13th March:
- The teams visited a total of 57 retail businesses across the city. The police provided all businesses with further information regarding ways to report crime and contact details for the Neighbourhood Policing Team (NPT).
- The police arrested 1 prolific offender at a Sainsbury’s store for 2 counts of robbery. The individual admitted to all offences and has been bailed with conditions. The police are now investigating 16 further robberies where this individual is a suspect.
- The police arrested 1 individual wanted on warrant.
- A partnership meeting was conducted with a Co-Op store that is currently experiencing a high volume of thefts. This meeting involved discussions surrounding a prolific offender and ways to improve security in the store to counteract this. The store was put in contact with the BID team for further support.
As a result of the SaBa day on 27th March:
- The teams visited 47 night-time economy venues across the city, including pubs, clubs, and restaurants. The police provided all businesses with further information regarding reporting and familiarising them with the NPT.
FRAN INMAN, FORMER HEAD OF PROJECTS, SAID
“We enjoyed working closely with Avon and Somerset police this year to build on the legacy of hosting last year’s SaBA day. We focussed our efforts across several days throughout the month and our main objective was to engage with businesses to understand their safety concerns and strengthen their relationship with the local beat team. Each day was a great success and through our collaboration we have gained tangible results.”