09 November 2026
The city’s Business Improvement District (BID) is highlighting its decade of work to reduce crime and improve safety in Southampton’s city centre during Safer Business Action Week (SaBA).
Safer Business Action (SaBA) Week begins on Monday 9 November. Coordinated by the National Business Crime Centre (NBCC), the national week of action brings businesses, police forces and local partners together to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour in city centres across the UK.
GO! Southampton has been running its Southampton Business Crime Partnership (SBCP) scheme since 2022, and the BID has worked with local businesses, partners, and the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary to improve safety across Southampton during SaBA Week over the last five years. The team will once again be focusing on business crime and raising awareness of the issues affecting businesses this November.
The BID’s nationally accredited SBCP provides local businesses with the tools needed to track offenders, share intelligence and help prevent crime, to improve safety across Southampton.
The SBCP has issued 70 daytime exclusions and 295 night-time exclusion notices since 2022. Its DISC crime-reporting platform, which enables businesses to share intelligence and report incidents, has on average over 420 users and 7,000+ logins each month. Its radio network, which provides direct links to other businesses, police and CCTV control rooms, is used by more than 200 BID members.
In addition, the SBCP has recovered more than £215,000 worth of stolen stock for its BID members and has provided 10,000 hours of security workers through its third-party security team.
Michael Nicholson, Destination Director at Westquay Shopping Centre said: “Working directly with the BID, and the Southampton Business Crime Partnership, allows us to capitalise on data and information sharing to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour.”
CI Charlie Ilderton from Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary said: “GO! Southampton is a valued partner in helping to make Southampton city centre safer. Through collaborative working, intelligence sharing and initiatives that support both the daytime and nighttime economy, the BID makes a significant contribution to reducing crime and improving public safety for everyone.”
GO! Southampton is committed to building on this work and continuing to support businesses, residents and visitors to help keep the city centre safe.
Stephen Manion, Executive Director at GO! Southampton said: “Business crime and anti-social behaviour affects everyone, and it can have a huge impact on the appeal of the city centre and how safe people feel while spending time in Southampton.
“Through our SBCP, and close partnerships with businesses, the police and other organisations, we have helped create a safer and more welcoming city centre.
“Safer Business Action Week provides a valuable opportunity to highlight the progress that has been made. We want to continue working with our partners to deliver an effective, collaborative response to crime and anti-social behaviour in Southampton.”
The GO! Southampton BID ballot is open until 5pm on 26 November 2026. Eligible businesses can vote on whether the BID will continue its work for a further five-year term, from April 2027 to March 2032.
Businesses can read the full plan and find ballot information at here.