Traders appeal for more security funding

We reported in March how beneficial the operatives had been in helping reduce anti-social behaviour by being a visual presence in town when police officers can’t always be around.

Melton BID secured extra funding to continue the pilot scheme until the end of June for two days a week.

But local businesses want a more permanent set-up after June and for longer periods during the week.

Around 20 traders recently had to deal with an incident in the town centre by rallying support via their radio network, in the absence of police and security officers.

A man had been spotted with a knife outside Michelle’s Veg Patch, in Bowley Court, and was subsequently chased away by the group of shopkeepers and cornered in Bentley Street until police could arrive on the scene. The offender was a well-known prolific local shoplifter, who was subsequently jailed.

James Colclough, manager of Melton BID, told the Melton Times: “The radio system works well in terms of dealing with incidents but the traders all have their own jobs to do running their own businesses.

“Having boots on the ground, with these security patrols, makes a real difference to making the town safer and we are keen to see the scheme extended.

"We are waiting to hear if we will get further funding from the police and crime commissioner to keep it going after June.”

James revealed that the BID was working with the Melton Borough Council on the potential of employing rangers dedicated to the town centre who could assist with issues including security.

Radios have now been distributed to 117 traders, who are in continuous contact throughout the day to spread the word about suspicious characters or threats such as counterfeit notes.

“The radios act as a real deterrent because everyone knows who the main perpetrators are and they know we have this radio network,” added James.

"They are also helpful when we have a lot of people in town – at the 1940s event there was a lost child and a missing man with dementia which we were able to help with.”

Barrie Roberts, who owns Melton Computers on Market Place, commented: “We have a WhatsApp group with 193 traders on it.

“We are building up a little community now and making the town centre safer.

“We all speak every day because of the radios.

“If someone sees someone who looks dodgy they can take a photo and share it to the group. If it turns out to be someone who isn’t a problem we just delete it.”

There appears to be a real camaraderie among business owners and managers in the town centre and they support new traders too.

Peter Grey, who opened Nicol Boutique just three months ago, said: “This is the first business I’ve ever run so having the support of the other traders really helps.

“I had trouble with my broadband at first and Barrie fixed up for me to piggyback on his wi-fi for a while, which was great.”