Central BID Birmingham’s Business Crime Reduction Partnership(BCRP) is highlighting its work in the city centre as part of the first awareness week of its kind from March 17.
BCRPs are not for profit, subscription-based, local organisations that aim to prevent crime and anti-social behaviour by improving partnership working between local businesses and local statutory services from the Police to the local authority.
Central BID BCRP Co-ordinator Bryan Edwards and his team will be holding events with retailers during the week to give updates on how their work with businesses, West Midlands Police and Birmingham City Council is making a difference in Birmingham, along with providing extra training.
The National Association of Business Crime Partnerships has organised this first National Awareness Week for BCRPs. Central BID BCRP and similar teams nationwide use tools like a two-way radio network, an intelligence sharing software app and the ability to share real time information to stop crime in its tracks.
With their excellent communications networks, BCRPs like at Central BID also implement a range of other projects to support wider community safety, such as Safe Spaces, Ask for Angela, Best Bar None, Days of Action, Police Operations, and other important collaborative projects to protect staff, customers and the wider community.
Local Police Officers carry the BCRP radios, so can intervene sooner, in a preventative way. BCRP radios also link in to the local authority CCTV Control Rooms, providing the ability to track offenders and assist the police by streaming live CCTV to Police force control rooms.
This partnership approach between the local business community and key local
stakeholders enables the identification of offenders at a much earlier stage than
would be possible without this collaboration and sharing of local knowledge,
meaning offenders are no longer anonymous and can be quickly brought to
justice.
Intelligence analysis enables BCRPs to spot repeat offenders across many
different business premises and sectors, highlighting the most prolific and
informing local business staff and Police about individuals who are likely to cause
the most harm.
BCRP banning orders can be issued, excluding individuals from all premises within the BCRP area – a banned from one, banned from all approach.
Central BID Birmingham BCRP Co-ordinator Bryan Edwards said: “We are here to support and reassure businesses and help make the city centre a safe environment where shoppers want to come and enjoy what’s available.
“It’s encouraging to see the difference the BCRP is already making.”
Sophie Jordan, CEO at the National Association of Business Crime Partnerships
said “Most towns and cities in the UK are supported by a local BCRP, yet their
highly effective work to keep communities safe is widely unknown outside the
immediate industry sector.
“The Awareness Week seeks to change this by showcasing the complex and
holistic approach to crime prevention provided by BCRP Methodology.”
Businesses in Birmingham city centre who want to find out more about Central BID BCRP should email: bryan.edwards@centralbid.co.uk