Safety and Security

Town Centre Rangers

High on the list of actions you wanted to see is an increased uniformed presence on the streets of Hitchin. We think this can best be delivered by employing three Town Centre Rangers, working in shifts, to give continuous coverage from 7.00am to 7.30pm every day, apart from Sunday when the hours will be 10.00am to 4.00pm.
Their role will be to work and interact with members of the public (shoppers, commuters, workers, tourists, residents, etc.), retailers, street traders, businesses, officers of statutory agencies (e.g. local authority, police, transport, traffic), special event promoters and participants, street cleansing and highways engineers.

The Rangers’ principal functions will be to:

• Welcome, guide and assist visitors to the town centre, providing help and advice to enable them to gain the maximum benefit and enjoyment from their time in town
• Enhance the public realm by acting as "eyes and ears" on our streets, responding to all matters affecting the quality of the BID environment by monitoring, recording and reporting relevant information for remedial action as necessary, and correcting minor discrepancies themselves
• Reduce crime and the fear of crime by working with businesses and statutory agencies as and when necessary
• Contribute to overall business performance by helping to reduce petty crime and shop-lifting
• We expect to set aside around £65K each year for this proposal.

Taxi Marshals

Taxi marshals act as ‘eyes and ears’ in a similar way to daytime rangers.
We will make provision to operate a taxi marshal system designed to smooth the experience of travelling home after an evening of entertainment in the town.

They will be linked by radio to police, CCTV and Pubwatch.  This will provide a deterrent for anti-social behaviour and criminal damage throughout the town.

£12K has been earmarked for this process.

Enhance and upgraded CCTV cameras

Modernisation of the existing CCTV cameras is being considered, with the refurbishment programme launching in Year 3 of the BID. Using modern technology this will extend the existing coverage quite significantly, thus providing better 24-hour security for more stakeholder buildings. The cost will be about £8,000 per camera, which includes monitoring its output. We will work with the local crime partnership scheme to ensure maximum benefits from this investment. We are also considering the use of head-cams for Rangers to provide evidence of problems that arise.

Change behaviour campaign

Anti-social behaviour is a blight on the town centre, predominantly undertaken by disaffected youths with little to occupy them after school and into the light evenings of summer. From Year Two of the BID we plan to work with other agencies to organise and deliver a high-profile campaign to reduce or eradicate activities that offend residents, workers and those who visit Hitchin.

The total spend on Safety and Security for the full five years of the BID will be £297,500