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Bracknell awarded safer shopping status

23/11/04

Bracknell has won a prestigious national award in recognition of work to make the town centre a safe and secure place for shoppers.

The town has been awarded the British Retail Consortium Safer Shopping Award as a result of good work achieved by The Bracknell Business Against Crime (BBAC) scheme, launched by Bracknell police in September 2003.

The successful scheme combines retailers and businesses; Bracknell Regeneration Partnership; Bracknell Forest Borough Council; the Town Ranger; security officers and the Drug Action Team.

Each partner agency has access to radios and shares information with town centre CCTV and the police. The radios are controlled 24 hours a day by security officers at Princess Square.

BBAC members share information regarding the activities and whereabouts of known criminals, ensuring that everyone is alerted to any potential threat. Having signed up to strict data protection protocols, they are issued with a target file, containing a description and pictures of any possible suspects in the area. Once an individual has been convicted of a crime they can be banned from entering any of the participating stores. So far 10 exclusion notices have been issued and no-one has since re-offended.

BBAC now has over 30 members in the town centre and is still growing. Last Christmas Bracknell experienced a 20 per cent reduction in crime rates across the town centre, within 10 weeks of the scheme being launched.

Founder and Chair of BBAC, Sgt Juli Read, said: “Getting this award tells everybody that Bracknell is a safe town in which to work or shop. Working with our retailers, security officers and CCTV operators we very quickly know when a regular thief is in town. Many of the local offenders tell us they no longer come into Bracknell to commit crime because they are immediately noticed.

“The retail radios have recently been updated to include a panic button and to send an automatic message to control as to which business is calling. Therefore if there is an emergency, security officers can immediately identify who needs help. So the system not only deters criminals but it provides added protection for customers and staff.”

The Safer Shopping Award will be presented to the town by David Leigh, Regional Business Crime Manager for Action Against Business Crime for the British Retail Consortium, during a ceremony in January. David said: “The business community, working in partnership with the police and local authority, will be sharing information and will target those individuals who disrupt life in the town through their anti-social behaviour and the committing of crime. These schemes are supported by the Home Office and will make a real contribution to making the area safer for those who live, work and visit the town. Bracknell Business Against Crime (BBAC) is now part of a growing number of business crime reduction schemes and the British Retail Consortium Safer Shopping Award recognises the operational standards demanded of the accreditation.”

The Bracknell Regeneration Partnership has sponsored a part-time administrator for the scheme which works hand in hand with the successful Pub and Drug Watch. Bracknell Regeneration Partnership Marketing Manager Helen Barnett said: “We are delighted that Bracknell has won the award. It is an integral part of the ongoing regeneration process that Bracknell town centre should benefit from a community-minded approach where people feel that they can shop and work in safety. The fact that the town has now achieved Safer Shopping status indicates that we are well on our way to achieving this beneficial goal.”