Calls for more support for Gloucester's City Safe scheme

City protection officers are working with shops in Gloucester

A new report looking at the impact of the Gloucester City Safe Scheme is recommending more patrols and the use of facial recognition to help tackle crime.

City Safe started in 2014 and has around 200 businesses involved.

Shops get radios and access to a database showing know offenders, they also work with a team of City Protection Officers who patrol the city centre.

Students from the University of Gloucestershire have produced a study which shows the benefits of the scheme and makes suggestions of what could be improved.

A team of City Protection Officers work with businesses in the city centre

The students also found that most businesses involved in the scheme are facing challenging behaviour from customers, from shoplifting and anti-social behaviour, to verbal abuse and intimidation.

Jessica was one of a number of students involved in the research

Sociology student Jessica Thompson-Clack was involved in the research.

"Overall people felt an increase in safety, in particular with the level of communication," she said.

"With the disc app, having a visual on who possible shoplifters are was good for businesses. Also the connection with other businesses with walkie-talkies and emails.

"Businesses were saying as the scheme has gone on there's been a faster response rate."

But Jessica said there were also concerns raised.

"Businesses were saying the banning policy isn't as effective as it could be.

"There's a scheme where they have a yellow and red card. Anyone caught shoplifting is given a yellow card, if they return they face a red card and a full ban.

"Shops are saying the rewards are higher than the risk, so offenders think they won't get a severe punishment so will continue to shoplift."

Steve Lindsay said more funding would be needed to implement any recommendations

Steve Lindsay is the Gloucester City Safe manager. He has welcomed the report but says implementing anything new comes down to one thing, money.

"It's our tenth anniversary and Gloucester City Safe and it's going in the right direction and these recommendations obviously always help us.

"We look at the recommendations as part of our independent board of management, but we have to work with what we have. To do some of the recommendations will require extra funding, which at the moment we do not have.

And on the yellow and red card scheme Steve added: "73% of all offenders who receive a yellow card do not come to our attention again.

"There needs to be some work on the justice system with regards to shoplifting and perception.

"The new government announced changes to the to the shoplifting offences and also an extra offence on assaulting and abusing members of shop stuff, which is again going in the right direction. "

Recommendations from the report included:

• To continue increasing resources with regards to the City Safe Scheme, including the City Protection Officers, Night Officers, Street Medics, as such services provide protection, a sense of safety and community, prevention and reassurance to Gloucester City businesses, residents of the city and visitors

• To provide support to those with businesses outside of the typical ‘hotspot’ areas, to ensure that crime displaced by the scheme does not impact elsewhere

• To consider the use of facial recognition, alongside the current use of CCTV and the City Safe App and website

In response to the report a spokesperson for Gloucester City Council said: “We are committed to the safety of the city centre and are continuously looking for opportunities to improve partnership working for the safety of our residents, businesses and visitors.”