Central BID’s Business Crime Reduction Partnership(BCRP) team is leading the way nationally on banning a prolific shoplifter from major shopping centres and every Next store in the UK.
Next at Bullring requested the team’s help with the offender when he was convicted of stealing from the store on Black Friday in November and given a suspended sentence.
The offender was again caught stealing at Merry Hill Shopping Centre this month, which put him in breach of his suspended sentence. It led to the BCRP team serving its first Community Protection Warning(CPW) to limit his shopping activities.
Believed to be the first in the UK of its kind served by a BCRP, the CPW bans the shoplifter from all Next stores in England and Wales, along with a ban on entering Bullring, Touchwood, Merry Hill Shopping Centre, The Fort Shopping Park and Battery Retail Park.
He also cannot enter other shops within Birmingham unless he has money to make a purchase or approach retail employees to cause any harassment or distress.
Central BID’s BCRP team plays a key role in crime prevention in Birmingham city centre and has helped to secure many jail terms for shoplifters.
The experienced team includes the former Police Inspector for Birmingham city centre, Christian Harrison, along with two West Midlands Police officers. They work closely with retailers, offering support to gather and submit evidence.
PC Andrew Hollies of the BCRP team said: “The CPW is like a civil ban but can be escalated to a criminal one if this offender breaches it.
“It’s the first one we have done, we plan to use more as a way of tackling the long-term effects of prolific offenders.
“We issued it and alerted all the relevant shopping centres along with police forces via the Police National Computer. So even if this offender entered a Next in Liverpool, they’d now be aware of the ban.”
Other recent success stories for Central BID’s BCRP saw a regular shoplifter sent to jail for eight months after she was caught trying to steal over £1,700 worth of cosmetics from Sephora at Bullring in December.
Another seasoned shoplifter was handed a 52-week jail term after the BCRP team led a primary investigation into his shoplifting activities in the city centre and found he was also wanted for offences across Birmingham including possession of a blade.
Documents created by the BCRP were used in the court case to help gain a conviction.
Crime reduction is just one of the many ways that Central BID supports its businesses.
It also focuses on keeping Central Birmingham safe and secure, creating and promoting events that drive footfall, supporting businesses to address local issues, secure grant funding and as a lobbying voice for its members. It also keeps the area clean and green.