The move is designed to “bridge the gap” between local police and city center businesses to tackle crime, including violence, anti-social behavior 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 everyone.
Concerns over perceptions of the town center have been raised numerous times in recent months in the Telegraph & Argus, with one visitor recently expressing concern at the number of ‘drugged zombies’ he encountered.
The patrol team has been appointed following a rigorous tender process and will be instrumental, alongside partner agencies, in helping to tackle a range of behavior affecting the town center and member businesses.
Bradford BID, a not-for-profit organisation, is launching the project as another part of a range of initiatives focusing on a safe and positive environment in the city centre, as outlined in the BID’s Business Plan for term two.
The introduction of the patrol team follows the opening of a 24/7 “Command and Intelligence Centre” (CIC) supporting BID member businesses.
The patrol team will routinely carry out direct business engagement face-to-face, assisting businesses with their concerns or enquiries.
They will patrol the BID area and report concerns that may have a negative effect on businesses and their customers.
They will also work closely with partners who have a responsibility to help those who may appear to be sleeping rough or need further help from services involving substance misuse.
They will report on environmental observations and gather relevant intelligence to assist partners with enforcement actions, such as waste, flight posts and noise.
The BID Patrol Team will be led by the Command and Intelligence Center of Argenbright Security Europe Ltd. after each call for service, following up with businesses as soon as practicable following each call for assistance and following through to completion.
Jonny Noble, Chief Executive of Bradford BID says: “When we consulted with our member businesses when drawing up the new business plan for a proposed second term, safety, security and cleanliness were extremely high on everyone’s agenda.
“By offering this service to our businesses, we feel we have the right resources available to help address some of the issues our businesses face.
“The working partnership with the City Center Neighborhood Policing Team, Local Authorities and the range of outreach services is absolutely essential to the success of this initiative.
“The BID Patrol Team is just one piece of the jigsaw and we look forward to working with our stakeholders across the city center 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, Director of Risk and Intelligence at ASEL says: “We are delighted to have been selected by Bradford Business Improvement District to represent them and their taxpayers as their ‘boots on the ground’ patrol team.
“We also look forward to working with all Bradford BID stakeholders and making a significant and real difference to shop workers and visitors across the city centre.
“We believe our new ‘integrated’ and collaborative approach to town center safety and security is at the forefront of the industry, truly bridging the gap between local police, town center businesses and other Bradford City stakeholders by combining resources highly skilled and well-trained with the right technology and data, ensuring Bradford BID has the right people, in the right places at the right time to tackle crime, including violence and anti-social behaviour.”
Jonny adds: “By adding this visible provision to the town centre, we are confident that our member businesses will feel they have a better engagement and response to the issues they face, and we are very excited to be deploying the team.
“One of the main factors that we think this project will affect is intelligence gathering.
“In cooperation with the Command and Intelligence Centre, we will be able to ensure that the right type of high quality information is passed on to the appropriate authorities for action.”
If a business is not a member of the BID, but is located within the extinction zone, there is the option of joining as a voluntary member by contacting the BID Office.