POLICE, CRIME AND ANTI - SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR UPDATE
ISSUE 86: 13 MARCH – 10 APRIL 2024
CRIME STATS
Over the last month, cases of reported crime have risen slightly from 598 to 622. This month has seen an increase in cases of theft, from 204 up to 267, with a decrease in sexual
offences, vehicle crime, and violence against the person. As always, the police encourage everyone to report any criminal activity witnessed.
RISE IN COMMERCIAL BURGLARIES
There has been an increase in commercial burglaries over the last month involving nighttime economy venues in the city centre. In the last 2 weeks alone, 11 offences have taken place, several of which have involved the theft of spirits from bars and clubs.
Individuals have been stealing bottles of spirits by reaching over the bar front or accessing the rear of the bar area. These occurrences have involved opportunistic thieves, likely to be monitoring the bar for opportunities to steal when staff are distracted or when the bar is left unattended.
We ask all hospitality business owners and employees to stay vigilant, especially over the busy summer period ahead which could see a rise in commercial burglaries. Please be mindful when leaving the bar area unattended and during deliveries to ensure areas are
securely locked or monitored. We also ask businesses to stay alert of individuals who are loitering or delaying placing an order. Greeting and engaging with these individuals
and acknowledging their presence can be an effective way to deter them as they will feel more visible.
SAFER BUSINESS ACTION DAY SUCCESS IN CITY CENTR E
Officers from the Neighbourhood Policing Team (NPT) conducted two Safer Business Action (SaBA) Days in March along with members of Bristol City Centre BID and Broadmead BID. These days of action were held as part of the National Business Crime Centre’s Retail Crime Month of Action, a month of activities designed to help tackle business-related crime in communities across the UK.
SaBA days are a joint approach from police, businesses, private security, and other organisations and groups to focus resources on a designated area to help reduce crime.
On these days of action, a multi-agency approach was adopted where each policing district allocated resources to designated areas to target prolific offenders and engage with businesses.
The first day of action took place on 13th March and saw officers visit retail businesses in the city with members of Bristol City Centre BID and Broadmead BID. They visited over 55 businesses to improve engagement and discuss any issues facing the business, where all points of discussion were recorded for future problem-solving. Alongside this, officers conducted a targeted operation to identify prolific offenders and individuals causing harm in the area. This led to the arrest of one individual who was charged with 16 offences of theft.
The second day of action took place on 27th March, where police officers and members of the Bristol City Centre BID visited night-time economy venues across the city. The team visited over 47 pubs, clubs, and restaurants to
improve communication and discuss issues facing the business.
The policing teams provided all businesses with further information to familiarise them with the policing team and highlight ways of reporting.
Bristol NPT is committed to supporting city centre retailers and regularly liaising with business security to discuss and understand business needs and ensure safety.
AN UPDATE FROM PCSO, NAT NAYLOR
“Hi all, recently I have been dealing with increased cases of anti-social behaviour (ASB) in the city centre, including several breaches of community protection warnings, community protection notices, and criminal behaviour orders. We would like to ask all business owners affected by ASB to please report these instances, especially those involving begging and loitering. By reporting these issues to the police, it helps us to locate those responsible and take the appropriate action to support your business. The more detail you provide, the better it helps equip us to help you.
If you are not already signed up to the DISC system, please get in touch at info@bristolbcrp.org to request access or for further support. DISC is an effective tool in helping to log and identify prolific offenders in the city that may be causing existing issues around your business.
Summer is just around the corner and with footfall in the city likely to increase, we encourage everyone to report all instances of
criminal activity to make the city a safer place for everyone.” All
