Drop in theft from local shops

THE NUMBER of retail thefts in Ballymena Town Centre has reduced by 11% in 2012, with the partnership between police and local retailers being hailed as the main factor for this drop.
By The Newsroom
Published 6th Feb 2013, 14:07 BST

Ballymena PSNI, partners in Ballymena Retailers Against Crime, announced that retail theft in the period April to November 12 has decreased by 11% when compared with the same period in 2011.

Inspector Pete Bouma who is in charge of the Town Centre, said: “Retail theft for the period April to November 12 has seen a reduction of approximately 11% over the corresponding period in 2011. The detection rate is 65% and means that almost 7 out of 10 retail thieves are being caught and dealt with. This is an excellent achievement for Ballymena.”

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The Inspector added: “The crime reduction can be contributed to the excellent partnership working between the Police Town Beat Team, BRAC radio link scheme, Ballymena Borough Council CCTV scheme and the Town Centre Wardens and is an excellent example of what can be achieved”

Assaults had also shown a 20% reduction during the reporting period and a clearance rate of 36% was achieved.

The Police prolific offender management team has been very successful in reducing re-offending, which also has an impact on the statistics.

Jim Somerville, Chairman of Ballymena Retailers Against Crime said: “This is really good news for the business community in the Town Centre. In the current economic climate businesses can not afford losses to retail theft, which can lead to jobs being lost.”

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While Councillor Audrey Wales, Chairperson of the Policing and Community Safety Partnership, added: “This is excellent news for the retail community and the PCSP is delighted to be part of the Town Centre crime strategy by way of the Warden Project, which is managed by BRAC on our behalf.”

Trevor Parker, Development Manager for Ballymena Retailers Against Crime, appealed directly to any business not already a member of radio link to contact him at 028 25646050 to obtain information on the scheme.