A Safer Shopping Experience with ShopWatch
CRIME DOWN 50% IN BRIGHOUSE TOWN CENTRE 2008
Latest crime figures for Brighouse Town Centre show a decrease from 19 crimes in November to 12 crimes in December.
Like for like figures for December 2007 and December 2008 shows an approximate 50% decrease in crime.
Members of the Shopwatch Scheme are delighted with this impressive improvement and it highlights all the hard work put in by the Neighbourhood Police teams and Shopwatch members.
Membership of the Shopwatch Scheme continues to grow with Wilkinson’s and Moorhouse Opticians recently joining the Shopwatch scheme.
Brighouse is beginning to be a safer place to shop so stay local and be safe!!
So who are ShopWatch?
ShopWatch was formed 15 years ago by Gordon Taylor, then of Harrison Lords Photographers and Glyn Marsden of H. Marsden Jewellers, as an early warning system for retailers against shoplifters.
Their mission was then and still is today to make shopping in Brighouse a safer experience, both for retail staff and customers.
In the early days the
ShopWatch members communicated by a ring round system, using BT phones. Today the communication system is more sophisticated, using a radio link system, which has a direct link to the Police. Plans are now well advanced to link the radio link system to the CCTV Control Centre for an even more dynamic response.
As the
ShopWatch membership as evolved and grown it now benefits the community, as well as retailers, in the following ways:
- Emergency alert system between retailers at the first sign of danger
- Early warning between members about suspects that maybe in town
- The members also help the community by providing a “Lost Child” facility
- Members give advice to the public to make them aware of pickpockets and bag snatchers
- Big contribution to Crime Prevention
.
So thanks to Shopwatch, Brighouse is one of the safest places to shop in Calderdale.
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