Meet the Liverpool BID Police Team keeping our City Centre safe

Liverpool BID Company is celebrating two years since launching its dedicated police team onto the city centre streets.

When rolled out in 2015, the team, which is fully funded by the BID as additional support to Merseyside Police, was the first of its kind in the UK.

Consisting of two officers, Dave Crawford and Carol Pereira, their focus is to address city centre issues such as aggressive beggars, antisocial behaviour and retail crime, while building strong relationships with BID businesses.

In that time the officers have achieved the following:

The majority of CBOs* (Criminal Behaviour Orders) issued in the city centre have been compiled by the BID police officers resulting in long-term prolific offenders and those with chaotic lifestyles being banned from the city centre

Carrying out operations to deter established shoplifters in the city centre by working alongside businesses and shopping centres within the BID areas – including Bold Street, Church Street, Williamson Square, Castle Street, Old Hall Street, and surrounding streets

Working with rough sleepers to ensure a better coexistence within the city centre and facilitate the work of organisations such as The Whitechapel Centre

Close partnership with Merseyside Police, business security teams and Liverpool City Council’s enforcement officers to ensure a more effective management of the city centre.

Sara Jones, commercial operations manager at M&S and BID board member, said:

“The BID police team continues to be a fantastic investment, and the reassurance provided to the businesses by Dave and Carol is immeasurable. It’s just great to have that regular point of contact who you can go to with an issue or to simply ask for advice. Response time is swift and problems are dealt with efficiently. I don’t know what we would do without them.”

Bill Addy, chief executive, Liverpool BID Company, said:

“The BID police team came about following a thorough review with partners and businesses that made clear there was a need for an additional service that could support the great work already being done by Merseyside Police. I am delighted that we are two years into the initiative and seeing great results.

“The team have embedded themselves within the BID community, providing a quick response to incidents, efficient recording and information sharing of criminal issues, and importantly, a friendly face to offer advice and support.

“Liverpool city centre remains one of the safest in the UK, however we must never rest on our laurels. It remains a priority of Liverpool BID Company to ensure the BID areas are safe for businesses and visitors alike.”

Superintendent Mark Wiggins, Merseyside Police, said:

“Liverpool city centre has an excellent reputation as one of the most vibrant and safest cities in the country, as evidenced by its Purple Flag status, and we want to ensure that this continues by working closely with our partners.

“The two dedicated BID officers are a fantastic supplement to the officers from our neighbourhood team who police the city centre every day and offer our business community and retailers a recognisable face and personal contact to which they can raise their problems and concerns.

“They can also address issues we know are of concern in the city centre such as shoplifting, theft, and aggressive begging.

“It is pleasing to see that their presence is having a positive effect and helping keep Liverpool a safe and enjoyable place to live and work.”

It comes after Liverpool BID Company agreed in the summer to fund extra security staff to work with Liverpool City Council’s City Watch team, within the council’s CCTV control room, during evenings. In addition, BID also invested in a new ENTE (evening and night-time economy) Radio Link system (BID already funds a Radio Link for its daytime retail businesses), which will allow businesses to be linked up and communicate with the BID team at City Watch.

*One of the key successes of the BID team continues to be the implementation of CBOs thanks to the officers’ solid record of compiling evidential cases (including witness statements from businesses and CCTV footage) that meet the threshold to present to a court.