Security & Resilience Update

Our Operations and Street Teams have been busy over the last few months, working with local businesses and the Police to combat crime and deter antisocial behaviour in the area. While crime rates in Baker Street Quarter remain relatively low compared with other areas of central London, we are always keen to ensure that businesses, their staff, as well as the wider community continue to feel safe. Here is a round-up of their recent activities: 

Alert Platform – Help Us Tackle Crime 

We use the Alert Intelligence Sharing Platform to support the Police in taking action against offenders and would like all local security teams, building managers, hotels and larger retailers to sign-up (free of charge) to support this area initiative to fight crime. The platform enables users to record security incidents and add information about offenders that can then be shared with fellow users and the Police and is one of our suite of tools we use to help keep the area’s crime rate relatively low and keep workers, local residents and those visiting.

It’s easy to use and fully compliant with GDPR and, crucially, enables the creation of evidence packages for the Police to use to apply for banning orders and prosecutions – particularly valuable with current Police resourcing challenges. It offers a coordinated approach to tackling crime and antisocial behaviour, with neighbouring central London Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) like BakerStreetQ, and their street teams, using the same system to share intelligence on offenders. We have already seen the benefits of this in action, with an evidence package generated via the platform being used to arrest a prolific shoplifter in the local area.

The platform, which is provided by Safer Business Network, also has a secure instant chat function that allows businesses to send and receive sensitive messages and images of offenders and share real-time information. It can be accessed anywhere – via the ‘Shop Safe Alert’ app or on desktop. The system’s dashboard features news bulletins highlighting new crime trends, known protests/events in the city, business protection and recommended security training.

Please do encourage your security team or building managers to sign up to Alert. The platform is part of our wider suite of security and resilience measures. A reminder that our weekly Security & Operations mailout features details from the Police and Council about crime trends, events, protests and street works that could impact business operations at a local level, and we also host a WhatsApp group linking up our Operations and Street Team with security teams to share real time information on incidents across the area. For more information about receiving these communications or to find out about joining the Alert platform, contact our Operations Manager Amber here.

Police Walkabouts 

Our Street Team continues to carry out regular area walkabouts with local Police and British Transport Police teams. Our collaborative efforts are focused on creating a safer, more secure environment for everyone and the walkabouts are opportunities to identify problematic areas, promote awareness, share intelligence, conduct community engagement and enhanced visibility. 

UEFA Champions League Final  

Our Street Team were on hand to support security stewarding teams and the Police in crowd management prior to the UEFA Champions League Final at Wembley on 1 June which thankfully passed without any major incidents. In the lead up to the event, Operations Manager Amber worked closely with Police teams, the Council and organisers to ensure that valuable information could be passed onto businesses located on the planned walking route from the designated fan meeting points in Hyde Park, up Gloucester Place, to Baker Street station, and then back again post-match. The event was an excellent practice run for Euro 2024 matches taking place later this month! 

You can find out more about our Security & Resilience work here. If you have any concerns about crime or antisocial behaviour in the area, you can contact our Street Team at [email protected] between 7.00-22.00 Monday to Friday and 10.00-20.00 Saturday and Sunday.