| HIGH-VISIBILITY SECURITY MEASURES HAVE TURNED BRADFORD BACK INTO A SAFE PLACE TO ENJOY
by John Roberts
New figures revealed this week show crime in Bradford City Centre has dropped by 30 per cent in the last two years. As the Telegraph & Argus continues its Buy It In Bradford campaign reporter John Roberts looks at the work being done to keep the city streets safer than ever before for shoppers.
If you come into Bradford to commit a crime you will be seen, caught and arrested.”
That is the hard-hitting message from the police inspector who is helping to drive down crime in Bradford City centre.
Inspector Steve Baker who heads up the police’s city centre beat team believes Bradford is safer than ever for people to visit.
And he has backed the Telegraph & Argus Buy It In Bradford campaign to get more shoppers to see what the city has to offer.
City centre crime has fallen dramatically during the last 12 months compared with figures from two years ago.
Robberies have fallen from 159 to 48 - a drop of 70 per cent, burglaries have fallen from 487 to 228 - a drop of 55 per cent, shoplifting has fallen from 1062 to 812 - a drop of 24 per cent, and vehicle crime has fallen from 989 to 326 - a drop of 68 per cent.
Insp Baker said: “The reason for this fall in crime is the visibility of the Police Community Support Officers, (PCSOs) the council’s city wardens, traffic wardens, our excellent CCTV system and our police officers on the beat.
“It is since the arrival of PCSOs and the street wardens that we have seen this fall in crime.
“A criminal is not going to do something in front of someone in a yellow jacket and the more people we have out on the beat the less likely they are to commit crime.
“But our job is not just about reducing crime it’s about making it feel like the city is safer. We want people to feel that Bradford is a safe place to come and shop, work and even live with the new apartments that are being built.”
Before the introduction of PCSOs and wardens there were just two police officers dedicated to patrolling the city centre beat.
But now Insp Baker can call on a team of 55 people to be the eyes and ears of the police and council efforts to keep the city safe, clean and free of crime.
Street wardens were introduced in Bradford in November 2002 and PCSOs began patrolling in the city six months later.
The PCSOs have enforcement powers and are employed to tackle low level crime.
Bradford has also had a drive to rid the city centre of anti-social behaviour, drunkeness and begging.
Police have handed out 25 ASBOS during the past two years which either prevent or place conditions on people coming into the city centre.
Regular briefings are held with PCSOs, wardens, store detectives and retailers to inform them of known shoplifters or people who are suspected of breaching their ASBO.
Insp Baker said: “We have one person who is an alcoholic and was jailed for 12 months as a result of breaching her ASBO. She has just been released and she has already been arrested six times in eight days for coming back into the city centre.
“A few years ago Bradford had a problem with a lot of drunks and beggars. It was very intimidating.
“ABOS are a useful tool for tackling these problems, they allow us to stop people like this coming into the city centre.
“About four years ago my wife and daughters came shopping in Bradford and they left after half an hour because they felt threatened.
“It is now completely different but there is still a perception problem. I would urge people to come into the city centre and see what it is like now. I have not got a vested interest in saying this - I don’t run a business in the city but I think it has a lot to offer. It is not just the shops. There are also attractions like the Alhambra Theatre and the National Museum of Photography Film and Television.”
Bradford retailers play their part in combating crime through the city centre beat operation by passing on information about known criminals or suspicious activity via a radio link.
Around 100 stores are involved in the scheme which allows them to contact police or community support officers if they need assistance.
However Insp Baker now wants retailers to do more to combat crime by having more visible security guards to deter would-be shoplifters.
He said Bradford Police would be holding talks with the managers of big department stores in the city to discuss the issue.
e-mail: john.roberts @bradford.newsquest.co.uk
100 ‘spies’ to cut crime |
Wardens help out
in dozens of ways |
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The manager of Bradford CCTV’s control room has backed our campaign and urged shoppers to come to the city.
Phil Holmes is in charge of more than 100 cameras trained on the city streets which he believes have helped to make Bradford a safer and more pleasant place for people to shop, work and visit.
He said: “One of the most important things for us is the shop link radio which allows us to speak to people on the ground, the security staff and store detectives who can report things to us directly.”
Mr Holmes believes the CCTV network also helps to prevent and deter crimes taking place. He said: “People are definitely more aware of the cameras, we see people looking up at them all the time. One prolific shoplifter even held up an empty bag to show us she had not stolen anything - she just gave up. I can patch an image through to the West Yorkshire Police control room at the push of a button. It is like having 100 policeman watching the city all the time.
“But this is not ‘Big Brother’. If people are going about their daily business they are of no interest to us. It is only when people start to break the law that we get involved.”
Bradford was a lot safer now for shoppers because of Bradford Police and council working together, he said.
“We are just one part of a team working together. We see the worst of Bradford in our control room and even to us it seems that crime has fallen.
“There are a lot fewer beggars and drunks now. The bottom of Ivegate used to be where they would all congregate. People could not sit down on the benches like they do now.” |
As city centre street wardens, Harry Haveron and Karen O’Connor have to deal with everything from spotting shoplifters to directing lost tourists.
The pair are among the ten street wardens who patrol the centre of Bradford every day providing a friendly face and helpful advice.
Street wardens were introduced by Bradford Council more than two years ago and have been credited with playing a major role in helping to drive down crime in the city centre.
Harry said: “Our job is to make sure the city is a safe, clean and tidy place to come and visit.
“What I like about this job is that we cover a broad range of things. We do not just deal with one issue.
“We have all of our council issues to look at, so if we see somewhere which is a mess we can contact our cleansing department or we report faults with our street furniture or pavements but we are always on the look-out for things like shoplifters as well.”
The wardens are instantly recognisable as they patrol their beat in bright yellow uniforms.
But because they are not police officers, Harry feels the public find them more approachable.
He said: “Because we are in the city every day we get to know people and they get to know us.
“People have come up to us and said thank you for doing such a great job.”
Karen said she took up the job because she relished the chance to work with people. She said: “No two days are the same and we are determined never to be beaten when people ask for help.
“Once someone has asked you how to get somewhere it sticks in your mind and if people ask us a question which we don’t know then we can contact someone who will.” |
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