The City Safe team – L-R: Jonathan Cheetham, Bryan Edwards, Chris Anderson and Chris Poole
- 200 City Safe digital radios now in operation across city centre
- Over 1,100 incidents resolved in scheme’s first year
- Prolific shoplifters being apprehended by City Safe team
A new crime-fighting network set up to tackle retail theft and anti-social behaviour in Birmingham city centre has recovered over £135,000-worth of stolen goods in its first year.
City Safe was launched in response to Retail BID Birmingham members who were becoming increasingly concerned about business crime and the impact of anti-social behaviour on the safety of staff and visitors.
The subscription scheme uses a new digital radio network, instant text messages and access to CCTV imagery using data-compliant software managed in a central control room.
Over 200 City Safe radios are now being used in the city centre retail and leisure area, Southside and Colmore Business Districts.
Members pay just £10 per week to be a part of the new network, which is being led by Retail BID in partnership with West Midlands Police, British Transport Police and retail centre security staff.
Data on the SentrySIS (Sentry Secure Intelligence System) system dating back to February 1st, 2019, reports £135,259 of goods recovered, with 1,142 incidents resolved. This means that the detained person has either been banned from a store, or had some form of police involvement.
The system now has more than 640 live profiles of persons that have been apprehended and dealt with.
A recent example of a City Safe success involves a known, prolific shoplifter who entered a city centre department store where she attempted to steal £235-worth of men’s boxer shorts. City Safe officers were called to help apprehend the female, at which point it was discovered she had 20 pairs of designer glasses in her handbag, stolen from a nearby opticians. The total recovered amounted to £4,454.
In November two females were detained for theft at a large retailer on High Street, Birmingham, where £600-worth of jewellery was recovered.
Retail BID and City Safe officers attended and the incident was reported to the police.
One of the females was found to be wearing an improvised pouch under her main clothing, which was designed to conceal much larger stolen items.
The pair were linked to a group targeting beauty products and jewellery in High Wycombe and Reading.
City Safe is a member of the National Association of Business Crime Partnerships (NABCP) and is being managed by Retail BID board co-optee Jonathan Cheetham.
The organisation is also recognised as a partnership that is ‘Secured by Design’ (SBD). Established by the Association of Chief Police Officers, Secured by Design is a group of national projects focused on crime prevention through innovative security design and operation.
