THE head of a drink and drugs counselling service said she will work with police and traders over concerns about a rise in anti-social behaviour and fears about an increase in crime.

ARCH manager Julie Helliwell was speaking after traders shared concerns about the impact on the town since the charity opened in Shipley Town Hall Monday, March 2.

She said figures showed shoplifting had increased before the Bradford Council-funded service moved from Leeds Road to its current home.

Undercover police teams are working in the town centre after recorded shoplifting incidents more than doubled.

Official figures show:

* 26 shoplifting incidents were logged in Shipley for the period of March 2 until April 11;

* 28 incidents were logged in the six week period before that;

* 12 incidents were logged in the six week period before that;

* 13 incidents were logged in the six week period including Christmas.

Town traders who are members of the Business Watch scheme, set-up so businesses can share information about crimes, recently packed Shipley police station for a meeting about the issue.

They claim the opening of ARCH, which stands for Advice, Rehabilitation, Counselling, and Health, has damaged the town's reputation and is putting shoppers off using it.

In once incident last week, traders were alerted to shoplifting at a food store in Market Square.

A woman had put tinned meat worth about £35 in her bag and when questioned about why she was in Shipley, said her boyfriend was attending a meeting at ARCH.

"It showed another side of what's going on - people are coming to Shipley and bringing their desperate mates with them too," said one of the people who detained the shoplifter.

But Ms Helliwell said shopkeepers may have assumed ARCH opened a month earlier, as the original start date was delayed, and the figures had actually dipped in the six weeks after the charity opened, compared to the previous six weeks.

"So the number of incidents is slightly down on the previous period and only four of our current service users featured in those incidents," she said.

However she said she recognised serious concerns had been raised and that some attempted thefts might not feature on police statistics.

"We want to allay people's fears and respond pro-actively and reassure people in Shipley we will work with them to reduce any crimes," Ms Helliwell said.

"We have got people in place who are engaging with this."

Speaking at an open day on Friday, Ms Helliwell said ARCH together with the Probation Service, had moved due to Bradford Council's decision to centralise services.

Sgt Claire Stothers and a team of plain clothes officers are now based full-time at the town hall to support ARCH and the Probation Service.

Darren Richards, of Shipley Greetings Cards, said apart from the perceived crime, the arrival of some 20 clients every day was causing problems with abusive behaviour on the streets.

"Since they opened, the perception of Shipley has been changed. The drunken swearing and shouting is putting off a lot of elderly people who like the town centre because it's safe with no traffic," he said.

Shipley Indoor Market manager Heidi McKenna said: "We understand this is an important service, but it shouldn't be right in the centre in Shipley's most beautiful building."

Sergeant Khalid Khan, of the Shipley Area Neighbourhood Team, said police were aware of a recent rise in reports of shoplifting and had put on increased patrols, including plain-clothed officers.

He said: "Officers from the local team will continue to work closely with local businesses and offer traders crime prevention advice where necessary."