Reduction in Northampton town centre offending welcomed by businesses

Retailers in Northampton have praised a policing operation targeting key crime types in the town centre.

Run by the Northampton Neighbourhood Policing Team (NPT), Operation Workforce carried out repeated cycles of targeted partnership work to tackle anti-social behaviour (ASB), retail crime, drugs and serious violence in and around the Market Square area.

As part of the focus on retail crime, NPT Inspector Nicola Davis-Lyons ran business engagement sessions in partnership with Northampton Business Improvement District (BID) and West Northamptonshire Council’s Community Safety Partnership Team, to keep retailers up to date with the operation’s progress.

This included sharing results such as a decrease in the number of reported shop thefts and anti-social behaviour incidents.

Inspector Davis-Lyons said: “My team have worked hard throughout Operation Workforce to bring about lasting change and drive down the crimes we know most effect those who work, shop and live in the town centre.

“We’ve increased our use of preventative measures such as community protection notices and warnings, to allow us to take appropriate and escalating action against those causing problems. We have also maintained visible foot patrols to deter and reassure which we know the public want to see.

“Seeing that pay off both in terms of a drop in offending and in positive feedback from people is great and so rewarding for us all.”

As part of Operation Workforce, officers now attend monthly meetings with businesses and other partners, to allow the prompt discussion of emerging issues and react quickly to these, as well as offer feedback on the work that’s been done and keep retailers up to date.

A spokesperson for the Heart of Northampton business group said: “In recent months there has been a marked improvement in our dealings with the Neighbourhood Police officers in Northampton. Through a series of meetings facilitated by Inspector Nicola Davis-Lyons, we are talking regularly to Northamptonshire Police, and we have learned of the effort and resources being deployed in the town centre to tackle anti-social behaviour.

“Through our regular meetings, NTARS and the Cops Adopt a Shop initiative we have learned the importance of reporting incidents and increased our understanding of the police’s willingness to deal with all levels of anti-social activity in town. Coupled with the efforts of the Northampton BID team who liaise with all the government bodies on our behalf, we are beginning to feel improvement in the town although we know there is still a lot more to achieve.

“Of course, businesses in the town centre want things to improve faster, but we understand and appreciate all the work going into making the town a better place for everyone to visit, shop, work and live.”

Mark Mullen, operations manager at Northampton Town Centre Business Improvement District (BID) said: “We have worked hard to develop and improve the relationship with Northamptonshire Police and we are now starting to see that work pay off.

“Our businesses want to operate in a safe and secure environment where retail crime is seen to be punished. We all want Northampton to be a pleasant and enjoyable environment for those working and shopping in the town, while being somewhere that criminals know they are not welcome.

“The recent work carried by Northamptonshire Police, with notable results throughout Operation Workforce, has had a hugely positive impact and we look forward to seeing this level of commitment to tackling retail crime and anti-social behaviour continue for many years to come.”

Inspector Davis-Lyons added: “The support we have from businesses is fantastic and I want to thank everyone who is being so positive and engaging with us, whether that’s reporting incidents to enable us to take targeted action, joining the shop watch meetings, or our Cops Adopt a Shop scheme, which now has 28 members and is going from strength to strength.”

Giving each registered business a named police contact, the free scheme aims to give businesses and their staff tailored support to raise concerns, protect their stores, and report problems and crime.

To find out more or to join, contact [email protected]