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7 May 02Poole - The Safe Place to Shop!
Sarah Morgan, Chairman of Poole Town Centre Management, who introduced the proceedings, said: "This initiative is a fantastic achievement and has made a significant impact on improving the safety and security of Poole Town Centre. We have been able to measure this against crime statistics which also show a high level of public reassurance. This achievement clearly demonstrates the value of working in partnership."
The initiative aims to reduce Town Centre crime even further by introducing new measures such as: shared intelligence and information between PARC members and the Police; Radiolink to the CCTV control room, the Police and between PARC members allowing 'real-time' crime information; Exclusion Orders, which can ban people from stores and public houses who are a member of PARC. The Police have maintained their commitment and the Town Centre Beat Team actively enforce issues coming out of the PARC scheme.
Jane Stichbury, Chief Constable for Dorset, said: " The PARC scheme is a true partnership initiative which is about everyone coming together to ensure a safe environment exists for everybody working, visiting or living in Poole town. I am extremely honoured to accept the award on behalf of Poole and pleased that Dorset Police have been able to help with resources and expertise to make the award possible. This will again raise the profile of Poole and hopefully such schemes will spread to other areas."
Funding of £19,550 was granted by the Crime Reduction Director of the Government office for the South West. £14,500 of the funding has been used to invest in a new Business Information Crime System - a database, already used across the country, which gathers intelligence, photographs and incident reports which can be shared with members of PARC. It is envisaged that eventually all the BICS databases will be networked together to share national information.
Paul Rowlandson, Regional Crime Director, said: "I am very pleased that the funding provided by the Government has been put to effective use. This award demonstrates what can be achieved by good partnership working which brings together the skills and knowledge of both the public and private sector to make a tangible difference for local people."
PARC was established in September 2001 between Dorset Police, Poole Town Centre Management and the Borough of Poole and is part of the Borough's Crime & Disorder Strategy.
Jan Knox, Town Centre Manager, tel: (01202) 649433
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