On Wednesday 26th July, a successful Safer Business Action Day took place in Southend-on-Sea. Organised by Southend City BID in partnership with the Essex Police Community Policing and Business Crime Teams, the primary focus of this joint initiative was to proactively engage with young people to address potential issues of ‘Youth Anti-Social Behaviour’ (ASB) in the City Centre as school summer holidays began.
By fostering a united approach, participants which also included Total Security Services (TSS) and Local Authority Community Safety, CCTV and Youth Engagement departments, spent the day engaging with young people to understand any issues faced that could be causing ill behaviour so support could be offered whilst setting clear expectations of conduct for the summer holidays.
Suzanne Gloyne, Southend City BID Manager, expressed her satisfaction with the day’s results, stating:
‘We listened to feedback received from businesses regarding ASB concerns which can peak during the school holidays and this Safer Business Action Day has demonstrated the power of collaborative efforts in making our city centre safer, more inviting and a vibrant place to shop and socialise. We are grateful for the community support and feedback, which motivates us to continue working together towards a safer Southend.
The teams visited 33 businesses to discuss ASB issues they’re facing and advise on how to report incidents, they also engaged with 86 young people, and found 1 individual to be carrying cannabis after a positive stop and search by police. It was a really great piece of partnership working that will continue to focus on supporting our businesses and residents.’
