City Watch - How Does it Work?

Businesses in the City Centre join the scheme and sign up to the data protection act allowing certain confidential information to be shared between member premises, police etc. Representatives from each premises attend a security meeting on a monthly basis and Information / intelligence and photographs are exchanged at this meeting.

Police photographs of target criminals are issued to all clients. Photographs of persons arrested / excluded etc are issued to all clients, if agreed by the steering group.

The serving of an exclusion order on a person means that if they enter any of the client's premises, they become a trespasser and they should be made to leave immediately. Any offence whether it is theft, violence or disorder / damage could attract a more severe sentence if he / she is subsequently convicted at Magistrates Court. The local Police have agreed to assist any client's business to eject an excluded person. Your premises are private property just like your home. Although there is an implied invitation to come in and shop / consume food and drinks, you are fully entitled to exclude any person from your premises if you feel that their presence is unhelpful to your business - e.g. drunks, or someone whom you have previously caught or suspected of stealing. You do not have to give any reason for banning someone.

The exclusion order remains in force until rescinded by the City Watch Operation. Information concerning each excluded person is collated by the scheme co-ordinator and circulated to clients as necessary.