Safer Business Award Re-accreditation
Rhondda Cynon Taf Business Crime Reduction Partnership Achieves Safer Business Award Re-accreditation

Rhondda Cynon Taf Business Crime Reduction Partnership is only the second Business Crime Partnership in Wales to achieve re-accreditation of their Safer Business Award after a reassessment audit by Action Against Business Crime.

The Award is given recognition of Rhondda Cynon Taf Business Crime Reduction Partnership's ongoing commitment to reducing Crime and disorder across the town centres of Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough through partnership working with retailers, landlords and South Wales Police.

Cllr Paul Cannon said: "By sharing information about criminals and suspects through an information sharing agreement, the members can effectively maintain a safer experience for customers and staff."

The Safer Business Award is the national standard for business crime reduction partnerships and is administered by Action Against Business Crime. Currently there are over 200 partnerships in England, Wales and Northern Ireland that have achieved the award.

Kicking crime out of Mountain Ash and Aberdare
A scheme that has had a dramatic effect on crime and disorder in Aberdare has been extended to Mountain Ash.

Cynon Valley Business Crime Reduction Partnership enables and supports premises to work together to tackle crime and ensure our town centres are safe places to live work and visit.

A partnership between Rhondda Cynon Taf Council, South Wales Police and town centre stakeholders, the partnership has two elements - Pubwatch and a retail scheme.

It is hoped the partnership will have the same dramatic effects in Mountain Ash as it has had in Aberdare, where it has been running for just over a year and has led to a 23 per cent drop in theft, a 15 per cent drop in burglary and a decrease in stock loss for shops.

Six shops are set to join Mountain Ash's new retail scheme by March and will benefit from a 24/7 radio link between themselves, the CCTV control room, police and each other.

The link enables members, including car park attendants, to share information in live time, alerting each other to known offenders or suspicious activity in town. Incidents can be reported via the link and CCTV operators can be instructed and guided in order to capture evidence or provide a deterrent.

Members of the retail scheme will receive expert training on dealing with potentially hostile situations, as well as support from the Business Crime Coordinator to compile records of incidents - which may not necessarily be reported to police - to compile profiles of known offenders, travelling criminals, crime hot spots and common modus operandi.

Persistent offenders will be excluded from premises and their photos will be shared among members. Shops will be given stickers to display to remind offenders of this. Offenders who try to breach exclusion orders could find themselves in court or receiving ASBOs.

The retail scheme will be complemented by Mountain Ash Pubwatch, which already has seven members in the town.

Operating an "out of one, out of all" policy, those who break the rules will be banned not only from the seven premises in Mountain Ash, but also the 12 pubs that form Aberdare Pubwatch.

Again, information and intelligence on offenders will be shared among members and those who break the law face prosecution.

"Much work is ongoing in Mountain Ash at this time to create a safe, vibrant and attractive town centre," said Cllr Robert Bevan, Cabinet member for Economic Development and Skills.

"The relief road is completed, parks and open spaces are being regenerated and shops and prominent buildings are being given modern new looks.

"However, it is also vital that our modern town centre is a safe place to live, work and visit and that is exactly why we are delighted Pubwatch and the retail scheme has been introduced.

"A similar initiative has had dramatic results in Aberdare and we are keen for this to be duplicated in Mountain Ash.

"No one agency can work in isolation to deter crime and anti social behaviour. We all have to work together and the partnership enables this. This scheme warns offenders they will not be tolerated and have no place in our town centres."