01 July 2022
GO! Southampton is delighted to announce that they have recently won the ‘Outstanding Partnership’ award at the Town & City Management Industry Awards 2022.
The award, presented by the Association of Town & City Management (ATCM), was given to the city’s Business Improvement District in recognition of their Southampton Business Crime Partnership (SBCP). The SBCP launched in 2020 to bring the daytime and night-time economies, the police, the council and other key partners together to share crime intelligence and build resilience against crime and anti-social behaviour across the city.
Photo credit: Edwin Ladd – Mr Ladd Media ©
A new DISC crime-reporting portal, radio scheme and security team as well as regular partnership meetings form part of GO! Southampton’s SBCP. The BID’s crime reduction team members work with businesses and the police to build cases against prolific offenders in the city but also work on ways to help support rehabilitation.
As a result of the work of SBCP members and the security team more than £231,000 worth of stock has been recovered since 2020.
Last year the SBCP was accredited against the National Business Crime Partnership standard, the only official quality check against Business Crime Reduction Partnerships and other business led crime initiatives in the UK. The assessment covers governance, partnership benefits, aims and objectives, communications, systems and procedures and data integrity.
The Awards evening in Cardiff formed part of the at ATCM Summer School 2022, a two-day event bringing BIDs, local authorities and other ATCM members together to learn, discuss and draw insights from place management leaders through panel debates, talks and interactive workshops. The theme of High Streets Vs The Industrial drove the event this year, with the effects of the pandemic, the move towards digital, the possible future recession and how town and cities can shape the future of the high street leading the debates.
Ojay McDonald, Chief Executive, Association of Town and City Management said, “GO! Southampton’s award is the product of excellent partnership development which has practical implications for creating a safe and enjoyable city. The BID is a driving force in the City Engagement and Action Group and is shaping targeted support to individuals. This partnership demonstrates a solid, strong collaborative approach which other cities can learn from.”
Stephen Manion, Executive Director at GO! Southampton said: “I am very proud of the GO! Southampton team with this fantastic national recognition by the ATCM of the amazing and often unseen work done by the many partners, working together across the city, who have achieved a real improvement in making Southampton a safer place to live, work and visit. This is only a step on our journey and we will continue to build on the success of the Business Crime Partnership to attract people into the city centre during the daytime and for the vibrant entertainment and leisure venues of our evening and nigh-time.”
