Many thanks to those attended the Business Against Crime meeting.
Actions from last meeting
· Campaign to better communicate how crimes reported online are dealt with (Business Crime team)
· Update on car cruise work with operational support group and traffic (Police)
Southend BID Crime and Safety Updates
· May – June Stats (% change to same period last year):
595 visitor enquiries (+96%) (still lockdown in May last year)
343 business crime assists (+108%)
229 anti-social behaviour incidents (+183%)
68 rough sleeper engagements and/or begging incidents (+48%)
100% / £3,203.66 recovery of stolen goods!! (25% / £884.15)
· Join the strategic and operational Operation Union meetings and updates. Really good partnership working occurring to help tackle anti-social behaviour in the town.
· Last weekend a road closure was trialled on the seafront following discussions from the weekly Operation Union meetings and a recent rise in reckless driving and anti-social behaviour along the seafront which was causing visitors to feel unsafe and businesses to close early.
· Annual Keeping Together wristband scheme has been launched – over 7,000 wristbands have been distributed over the past week. Also had posters created to help inform visitors of this. Partner with Police and Community Safety on this scheme.
· Team undertook the longer Mental Health First Aid course last month and found it incredibly useful as they have seen a rise in incidents associated with mental health issues – better able to understand and approach these subjects.
· Night Time Economy Group (NTEG) is making good progress with first draft of the night time economy pack due out soon and new format for meetings based on feedback. For any nte business please complete this survey to provide your feedback on the meetings by the 10th August: www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/QJNHT53
· Looking to re-establish the Southend Pubwatch meetings and have emailed out to BID pubs and clubs. Not previously a Southend BID led initiative but will take the lead at least initially to get these collaborative meetings back in place. If you would like to attend please email hello@SouthendBID.com.
· Working with Business Crime Team to put together a training session for shop security staff – Alex will be able to expand in a bit more detail.
Southend Town Centre Police Team Updates
· Met with organisers of cruising events to try and formalise events and encourage peaceful lawful assemblies, sympathetic to the community. The meeting was positive, however there is much work to be done here, as the vast majority of issues come from vehicles and drivers not associated to groups. This has been escalated to receive more designated specialist resources to deal with events.
· Visited numerous licensed premises throughout the district and in partnership with SBC licensing to support publicans on their return to business or easing of restrictions. Virtually all venues that were already operating prior to 19th July are keeping the restrictions in place for now. Venues that are re-opening (clubs, bars & adult entertainment venues) are employing good, basic Covid measures.
· We are pursuing three subjects that continue to breach their Community Behaviour Orders in the town by displaying disorderly behaviour (all of whom are known to town centre businesses).
· Another individual that has repeatedly harassed people in the town by relentlessly following them, recording them and uploading videos to YouTube has received a Community Behaviour Order, meaning that any such behaviour against individuals, businesses or buildings will be prosecuted unless he’d received express permission prior to filming. This was the culmination of over a year’s work, and a particularly demanding investigation and casefile.
· Operation Union has been (and continues to be) the response by Essex Police to cover the extraordinary demand being placed on our resources by the huge numbers of people and incidents of disorder along our seafronts and in our town centre. This has been a force priority for several weeks and has seen additional resourcing patrolling key areas.
· We have continued our Project Servator work by staging several deployments in and around the district, and we continue to expand our resource in this field with more officers receiving the training and participating.
· More Town Centre Team officers have received Taser training now, and further courses are booked, so that each member is able to better deal with disorder immediately themselves. This is especially salient ahead of the return of night-time economy to the town.
· The Town Centre Team is responsible for the investigation of all hate crimes reported in the town centre, and since the start of June 10 such investigations have been handled by them.
Business Crime Team Updates
· There is a new business crime web page that has launched (www.essex.police.uk/businesscrime) and contents include advice around keeping businesses safe , good news stories ,cyber crime advice , open for business closed to crime campaign and how to contact the team.
· Updates were provided around the shop safe radio’s being installed at Lakeside , Basildon, Brentwood, Southend and Gray’s.
· The package around staff training and aide memoire is being put together.
· There has not been any issues with face covering.
· Salvation Charity Bin “CLOTHES WATCH “ was launched due to an increase of thefts of clothes from the charity bins.
· Team have now successfully completed 40 CBO applications against the most prolific shop lifter.
AOB
· Incidents of aggressive begging had reared it's head again - report and record this onto DISC system and online:
· If a CBO is breached then it kickstarts their CBO again - extends it.
We welcome your comments and suggestions. Please email hello@southendbid.com to attend the next meeting on Tuesday 28th September or provide feedback.