Business Watch to tackle crime and bad behaviour
Police officers and businesses in a town are joining forces to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour hard following the success of an industrial estate scheme.
Wyre Forest Safer Neighbourhood Team will be working in partnership with Kidderminster Business Improvement District(BID) and town centre enterprises to set up a Business Watch initiative.
The bodies will work use the DISC Platform to share information and intelligence which will in turn help with police foot patrols, investigations and crime prevention projects.
Sergeant Matthew Ling, of Kidderminster SNT explains: "It's vitally important that we continue to build new and strengthen already existing partnerships between the police and the community.
"These stronger relationships will help assist our officers in preventing and detecting crime and anti-social behaviour and allow our communities to share information and intelligence directly related to crime and anti-social behaviour impacting their businesses and across the town centre as a whole.
“I believe that through the introduction of this Business Watch we can increase trust and confidence in West Mercia Police, further develop collaborative working within in our communities and to help create a safer Kidderminster town centre for us all."
West Mercia Police and Crime Commissioner John Campion said: “At the very core of policing is the unique relationship between police officers and the communities they serve.
“My Safer West Mercia Plan is focused on tackling the issues causing harm in our community and tackling business crime is a key part of this plan.
“Thanks to Business Watch’s success in Hoo Farm industrial estate, it is now being rolled out into Kidderminster town centre helping to create an environment where people are safe and feel safe. It is great to see the benefit of that scheme widened to other areas in Kidderminster.”
James Barker, of Kidderminster BID, said: “It’s been an amazing experience collaborating closely with the West Mercia police getting DISC rolled out.
“DISC will allow all of the local businesses to communicate clearly with the Police and take the fight to the prolific offenders finally taking them off the streets.”
