Shrewsbury BID chiefs back action to crack down on business crime

Shrewsbury Business Improvement District (BID) is working with West Mercia Police and other partners to reassure businesses in Shrewsbury that the town remains a safe place to live, work and visit.

The message came as Safer Business Action Week took place last week.

Stephanie Mansell-Jones, business liaison at Shrewsbury BID, said: “We are pleased that West Mercia Police is conducting targeted patrols in Shrewsbury town centre, both with Safer Neighbourhood Team officers, as well as officers drafted in from surrounding areas and specialist teams.

“We are continuing to work with the police, Shrewsbury Town Council and Shropshire Council on a range of initiatives, including the newly-formed Anti-social Behaviour Taskforce, to identify offenders, gather evidence and ensure action is taken to protect the trading environment, residents, and other users of the town centre.”

Inspector Ben Tanfield, from Shrewsbury Safer Neighbourhood Team, said: “Tackling business crime is an important focus for the police here in Shrewsbury, with operations and investigations carried out all year round.

“Safer Business Action Week was an opportunity to highlight that acquisitive crimes such as shoplifting and fraud have a major impact on the lives and livelihoods of the communities we serve.

“Officers from the Shrewsbury Safer Neighbourhood Team along with the Neighbourhood Crime Fighting Team were out in Shrewsbury all last week. We have run several operations in the town centre, Sundorne and Meole Brace.

"The operations have used uniformed and plain clothed officers, building on the success of our previous ‘Op Darwin’ activity. We work closely with Shrewsbury BID and I would encourage all town centre businesses and venues to sign up to Shrewsbury Watch if they haven’t already done so.”

Shrewsbury BID, with support from the West Mercia Police and Crime Commissioner and Shropshire Council, funds the Shrewsbury Rangers who regularly patrol the town centre to help reduce crime and provide extra visual reassurance for businesses and the public.

Discussions are ongoing about continuing the project once the initial funding programme comes to an end, with businesses being very positive about the impact the rangers have had in the town centre.

Stephanie added: “We know that businesses appreciate the extra support provided by the rangers, so we are actively talking with partners about the future. It’s clear that by working together we can continue to make Shrewsbury a safe and enjoyable destination.”