The safety and security of staff, customes and visitors is a top priority for Canterbury BID. We chair the city’s Safety & Security Roundtable (focus on retail crime and ASB) and Purple Flag partnership and accreditation. We also run the Zero Tolerance training programme and co-lead on Best Bar None accreditation with Kent Police.
We were really pleased that Kent Police and Crime Commissioner, Matthew Scott, District Commander, Dan Carter, and Cllr Connie Nolan joined our January Safety & Security Roundtable to discuss retail crime and ASB. Canterbury is a safe and wonderful city, but retail crime is a problem everywhere and we have to work together to solve it. We heard from businesses about their experiences, discussed Project Pegasus and the National Retail Crime Action Plan, and most importantly, we talked about local solutions. With 12 years of PurpleFlag, 22 years of District Watch, a strong Community Safety Partnership, and new projects introduced with Safter Streets Funding, we’re ready to tackle this.
- This includes Zero Tolerance training for businesses with the next session on 12 March. Find out more an register.
- Following the Roundtable, Kent Police have creatd a very short (2 min) survey to help them capture your concerns around the safety of staff, particularly journeys home, such as walking to their cars. All staff are invited to complete the survey so please share with your teams, as this will help the Police understand and engage with those experiencing concerns.
We want to ensure that Canterbury’s day time and night time economy is vibrant, diverse and safe for everyone. There is always more work to do, which is why the partnerships and the projects and support we can deliver are so crucial. Canterbury has:
- 22 years of District Watch
- 12 years of Purple Flag
- 12 years of Street Pastors
- Zero Tolerance training
- Best Bar None accreditation
- Numerous new projects and support rolled out through Safer Streets funding, including two new locations of Safe Havens to complement existing ones; bystander training for Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) and additional police operations (Project Vigilant, Shoplifting Days of Actions).
- and a strong Community Safety Partnership.
Find out more about Canterbury BID’s work on Safe & Secure.
