Staffordshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner Matthew Ellis attended two community safety meetings in Tamworth last Thursday, 27 March, as part of a day spent in the area.
Mr Ellis attended two meetings at Tamworth Police Station, including a Community Safety Partnership Hub and a Tamworth Business Partnership update.
The Community Safety Hub is a daily meeting held between partners, including Staffordshire Police, Staffordshire County Council and many others, to discuss what crimes have recently been committed in Tamworth and how best to tackle them.
As well as crime prevention and reduction, community safety includes addressing quality of life issues, such as anti-social behaviour.
Mr Ellis dropped-in to the Hub to see how the daily meeting takes place, asking questions and offering advice on the daily get-together.
After, Mr Ellis met with Sgt Kerry Skingle to learn more about Tamworth’s Business Partnership, known as ‘Townsafe’ and what it does to counter business crime in the area.
Latest reported crime figures show that there’s almost one crime every hour in Staffordshire where businesses are the victims. The total price tag of burglary, shoplifting, robbery, criminal damage, theft and other offences against businesses in Staffordshire is estimated at over £7,300 per hour. And, worryingly, according to the Federation of Small Businesses, over a third (39 per cent) of businesses do not report crime to police.
Mr Ellis has commissioned the Business Crime Matters strategy which is being spearheaded by his deputy Sue Arnold, herself a former president of Southern Staffordshire Chamber of Commerce.
Mr Ellis said: “Businesses are the lifeblood of local communities across Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent.
“Times are tough for small businesses and being a victim of robbery, theft, vandalism or online fraud can be enough to drive them into the ground. I’m determined that businesses who are victims of crime will not be forgotten.
“I’m impressed by the level of organisation and commitment I’ve seen in both these meetings – you get a real sense of how important community safety is in Tamworth.”
Tamworth Townsafe works in partnership with Staffordshire Police, Tamworth Borough Council and Community Safety Partnership and has over 30 businesses involved across Tamworth, from the town’s Ankerside shopping centre to Ventura Park.
For more information on Townsafe visit www.tamworthtownsafe.co.uk
