A brand new ‘boots on the ground’ patrol team has been launched in Bradford city centre after business bosses called for improvements to safety, security and cleanliness.
The move is designed to “bridge the gap” between local policing and city centre businesses to combat crime, including violence, anti-social behaviour and other “street issues.”
Bradford Business Improvement District (BID), which represents almost 600 member businesses in the city centre, says it launched the ‘BID Patrol Team’ to help keep the city welcoming and safe for all.
Concerns over perceptions of the city centre have been raised many times in recent months in the Telegraph & Argus, with one visitor recently expressing concern at the number of ‘drugged-up zombies’ he encountered.
The patrol team has been appointed following a rigorous tender process and will be instrumental, alongside partner agencies, in helping tackle a range of behaviours that impact the city centre and member businesses.
Bradford BID, a not-for-profit organisation, is launching the project as another strand of a range of initiatives focusing on a safe, positive environment in the city centre as outlined in the BID’s second term Business Plan.
The introduction of the patrol team follows the launch of a 24/7 “Command and Intelligence Centre” (CIC) support helpline for BID member businesses.
The patrol team will routinely carry out direct face to face business engagement, helping businesses with their concerns or questions.
They will patrol the BID area and report concerns which may be having an adverse effect on the businesses and their customers.
They will also work closely with partners who have the remit to help those that may appear to be sleeping rough or in need of further assistance from services involving substance misuse.
They will report on environmental observations and gather the relevant intelligence to assist partners with enforcement action, such as waste, fly-posting and noise nuisance.
The BID Patrol Team will be directed by Argenbright Security Europe Ltd.’s Command and Intelligence Centre following any calls for service, attending businesses as soon as practical following on from any calls for assistance and following through to completion.
Jonny Noble, the Chief Executive of Bradford BID says: “When we consulted with our member businesses whilst drawing up the new business plan for a proposed second term, safety, security and cleanliness were extremely high on everybody’s agenda.
“By providing this service to our businesses, we feel we have the right resources available to help address some of the issues our businesses face.
“Partnership working with the City Centre Neighbourhood Policing Team, Local Authority and the range of outreach services is absolutely paramount to the success of this initiative.
“The BID Patrol Team is only one piece of the jigsaw, and we look forward to working with our stakeholders across the city centre as the Patrol Team develops.”
The new Patrol Team is a first for the BID and is in partnership with leading industry experts, Argenbright Security Europe Limited (ASEL).
Peter Fisher, ASEL’s Director of Risk & Intelligence says: “We are delighted to have been selected by Bradford Business Improvement District to represent them and their levy payers as their ‘boots on the ground’ patrol team.
“We are also looking forward to working with all Bradford BID stakeholders and making a significant and real difference to shopworkers and visitors across the city centre.
“We believe our new ‘integrated’ and collaborative approach to urban centre safety and security is industry leading, genuinely bridging the gap between local policing, city centre businesses and other Bradford City stakeholders by combining highly skilled and well trained resources with appropriate technology and data, ensuring Bradford BID has the right people, in the right places at the right time to combat crime including violence and antisocial behaviour.”
Jonny adds: “By adding this visible provision to the city centre, we are confident that our member businesses will feel that they have better engagement and responses to the problems they face, and we are very excited to deploy the team.
“One of the major factors we feel this project will impact on is intelligence gathering.
“In conjunction with the Command and Intelligence Centre, we will be able to ensure the right type of high quality information is relayed back to the relevant authorities for actioning.”
If a business is not a BID member but is within the demise area, there is the option of joining as a voluntary member by contacting the BID Office.
