Criminals who blight businesses and put shop staff in fear face being driven out of the city centre.

In a bid to rid Bradford of its reputation of being a "dangerous place" a ground-breaking alliance, launched today, aims to make the city centre a no-go area for shoplifters, burglars and muggers.

And police have drawn up a 50-strong wanted list of crooks they hope to either collar or drive away.

City centre Inspector Steve Baker, of Bradford South Police, said a small hard core of criminals was responsible for the majority of crimes.

He said: "Bradford is one of the safest city centres in the country, but the perception of it as a dangerous place is an issue. The partnership will improve people's perception.

"We have a top 50 of criminals committing shoplifting and anti-social behaviour and we have displayed posters of them so that staff can see who is banned from shops and turn them away. We also now have more enforcement powers to ban them from the city centre."

The use of high-visibility patrols by Police Community Support Officers and street wardens has driven down city centre crime in recent years.

But crime levels have crept up again in the past 12 months and police have now joined forces with retailers, licensees, other city centre businesses and partner agencies to tackle it.

Insp Baker said: "Crime fell quite dramatically after the introduction of PCSOs and street wardens, but in the last year it has steadied out and increased in some categories and that is why we are doing this."

Overall crime in the city centre plunged from 5,883 reported offences in 2003 to 4,165 in 2005 and in the last year there have been 167 fewer offences.

But shoplifting offences, which fell from 1,065 three years ago to 855 last year, have gone up again to 906. Robberies have also risen in the last year, from 49 to 63, after falling from 167 in 2003, and vehicle crime, which had been slashed from 1,199 to 382, is also on the increase to 436.

City Centre Beat has introduced a number of crime-busting measures, which include:

  • Establishing a state-of-the-art digital radio system linking city centre businesses and enabling them to share information on criminals targeting their premises. The system is backed up by PCSOs and city centre wardens;
  • Setting up a computer system to log details of all criminal activity in the city centre. The database will be shared with members of the new partnership and neighbouring crime partnerships to co-ordinate efforts against criminals;
  • Increased targeting of persistent anti-social behaviour offenders, including exclusion from the city centre and court action;
  • Packs for partnership members which include photographs of prolific city centre offenders to alert staff.
Insp Baker said police also have a top ten of vehicle crime offenders who are targeted regularly, with several being given anti-social behaviour orders. And less than a handful of people were responsible for business burglaries with the crime rates being reduced dramatically after one was arrested last year.

He said: "City centre crime has an impact, not just on the financial implications for businesses, but the health and safety and well being of people who work, live and visit there. It is the human cost.

"A young shop assistant, who might be on their own, will feel vulnerable if they are challenged by a determined, prolific drug addict wanting to steal to feed their habit. Members of staff at one department store have resigned because they were approached by shoplifters.

"City Centre Beat is a unique opportunity for businesses to unite with the police and our partners in one common aim. Together we will send out a clear message to criminals who think Bradford city centre is an easy target: You are not welcome here'."

Mandy Dobson, store manager at WH Smith in the Kirkgate Centre, said working in Bradford had opened her eyes to the extent of crime.

She said: "One day we caught five shoplifters and it is normal to get two or three a day.

"This scheme is good for everybody, but we need more people to come on board. Schemes in other cities have been very effective.

"People have to want it to work, but it is just what we need. We have to issue the clear message that if you come to Bradford to commit a crime, we don't want you and you are going to get caught."

Mary Frame, executive member of Bradford Chamber of Trade, said: "Anything that helps to prevent shop theft and bad behaviour in the city centre is to be applauded. It is absolutely needed. It is well supported by retailers."

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