Traders join forces to fight back against shoplifters and anti-socials

From left, town trader Barrie Roberts, security operative Nick and Melton BID manager James Colclough in Melton Mowbray town centre

Traders in Melton Mowbray are fighting back against town centre criminals thanks to a radio system and support from security operatives supporting the work of the police.

A surge of break-ins, shoplifting and anti-social behaviour left business owners reeling during the Christmas and New Year period.

A passionate meeting was set up between the angry traders, police and borough council representatives and action has been taken to reduce incidents of anti-social behaviour and shoplifting by about 50 per cent.

Funding of £3,000 from the Safer Melton Partnership and Melton BID enabled dozens of new radio to be bought for businesses to communicate with each other and flag up individuals and incidents in real time in an enhanced SMART scheme.

Leicestershire Police and Crime Commissioner Rupert Matthews chats to two of the private security operatives who are patrolling the town centre

And the Leicestershire and Rutland Police and Crime Commissioner, Rupert Matthews, funded two security staff to patrol the town centre to act as a deterrent and a mean of intervening to defuse incidents or report them to police.

James Colclough, manager of Melton BID, told the Melton Times: “We only had three or four traders active on the radios last year but we’ve now got more than 100.

"It has created a real community feel among town centre businesses.

"It is a small number of the same people committing these crimes and they know we are watching them.”

Trader Barrie Roberts (left) and security operative Nick test out the radio system which is working so well in Melton Mowbray

The security operatives are part of a ‘hotspot patrol’ the PCC has rolled out across the county to back up police officers.

They work in twos and walk around the town, going into shops and building relationships with traders, as well as engaging with young people involved in anti-social behaviour, responding to reports on the radio network.

They don’t have powers of arrest but can detain suspects until police officers arrive.

Barrie Roberts, of Melton Computers, has played a leading role in co-ordinating the new crime prevention initiatives.

James added: “Having these security guys on the ground is a big support to our shopkeepers. The funding ends in March and we are hoping that the crime commissioner will keep it going.”

Councillor Sharon Butcher, Melton Borough Council portfolio holder for the town centre and a member of the Safer Melton Partnership (SMP), is encouraged by the way traders are working with police and council officials to tackle crime.

She would, however, like to see more use being made of the SMP’s DISC app, where retailers can report crime incidents in detail to provide evidence on offenders to ensure they get longer sentences.

Councillor Butcher also praised the impact of the town’s CCTV camera network which was modernised a couple of years ago to provide better coverage, clearer images and data on how different crimes are dealt with.

The PCC, Mr Matthews, has not yet committed to extending funding for the security staff in Melton.

He told the Melton Times: “Leicestershire Police has been working closely with partners across the city and two counties to increase visibility and vigilance in communities with long-running issues, combining partnership patrols with local policing enforcement to robustly deal with issues that blight local residents' lives and to deter offending.

"The warden patrols in Melton are one example of the joint problem-solving work underway.

“I have spoken to shop staff, residents, local shoppers and visitors, and they all said how they appreciated the work being done.”