Slough Town Centre Business Improvement District (Slough BID) has appointed Lodge Service to patrol and help protect the town centre from crime and anti-social behaviour.
Slough BID is a business-led, not-for-profit organisation that works on behalf of some 400 town centre businesses. The focus is to promote and improve the BID Zone by helping to make Slough a welcoming and safe place to visit and in which to live and work, says Clarissa Parker, Slough BID Manager.
Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) are a nationwide framework that enables businesses in a designated area to pool their resources and invest in agreed products and services. Slough BID was formed in April 2020 with a five-year development strategy.
Lodge Service’s BID relationship manager, Bill Collinge, says:
“We deploy a team of three wardens in Slough, using a polite but firm approach to discourage antisocial behaviour and disorderly conduct. This acts as a deterrent to potential crime while also offering a welcoming presence for residents and visitors, helping with directions, and providing public information and assistance”.
The wardens were transferred from the previous in-house team at Slough BID and initially supported by Lodge Service personnel based in the local area. Each member has a Slough BID-branded uniform, covert stab vests, Hytera body camera, and communication handsets.
The body cameras are continuously monitored by Lodge Service’s intelligence centre, which also offers an after-hours service for companies and people in the BID area to make contact with information on any incident. A warden will visit the next day to investigate, reassure and report.
Slough BID Manager Clarissa Parker says:
“The Lodge Service team provides visible reassurance to businesses, our BID levy payers, as well as the general public through an approachable and welcoming service. Lodge Service is a long-established company with 104 years of security expertise, and our management team look forward to utilising their experience gained within Business Improvement Districts and supporting retail outlets at a wide range of locations throughout the U.K.”
The Slough BID’s primary aim continues to be managing and supporting those within the area who suffer nuisance, targeting shoplifting and anti-social behaviour, with intelligence-led crime reporting, working closely in cooperation with the Police for a brighter future.
“Through its Guardhall division, Lodge Service has been at the forefront of the development of the role of community wardens and Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs). We ran a pioneering scheme called the ‘Hyndburn Community Safety Warden Scheme’ with Hyndburn Council in Accrington for three years, sponsored by an EU grant,” says Bill Collinge.
Guardhall provided eight wardens to work closely with the local Police. It operated a dedicated radio network, which included retailers in the neighbourhood and the council, managed through to the company’s intelligence centre.
Lodge Service security consultants develop a total loss and protection strategy for BIDs and retailers that blends security technology and experienced personnel as needed, to provide an integrated solution that secures and protects people, assets and profits, says Bill Collinge.
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