Commissioner vows tough measures to crack-down on crime in Shirley

Police Commissioner Donna Jones met with business owners in Shirley Precinct this week after being made aware a group of young people had been terrorising shop owners for the last five months.

The Commissioner called an urgent meeting with the victims of the abuse, the police and Southampton City Council to outline a plan on how to tackle the ongoing crime and anti-social behaviour which has lost businesses tens of thousands of pounds.

Shop owners told the Commissioner they had been subjected to threats of violence, criminal damage and theft on an almost daily basis and that the young people involved had started using racial slurs as a way to further intimidate them. Business owners said they had to regularly close their doors early resulting in lost revenue and less wages for staff.

Upon hearing the experiences of businesses, Donna Jones said: “This must stop now. These business owners have suffered for too long. They are afraid to come into work and they are losing money every day, it is completely unacceptable that they have been allowed to experience this amount of crime for this length of time.

“I was only made aware of how long this had been going for two weeks ago. I’m grateful to the business owners who have spoken up and to Southampton City Council for raising the issue with me.

“I have now laid down plans to put an end to this. I’m going to be funding extra CCTV to go in the high street, I’ll be funding security guards to patrol the high street during core hours, and I’ll ensure police patrols increase.

“I’ve also asked the police to ensure they work with the Crown Prosecution Service as a key partner to make sure they understand what is going on here in terms of the levels of harm and organised criminality.

“These business owners need a break. They just want to go to work, open their store and support their family without fear of violence or intimidation. That isn’t a lot to ask. I hope we can all meet again in the next couple of weeks to review the police response and how the investment I have offered is progressing.”

Leader of Southampton City Council and ward councillor for Shirley, Councillor Alex Winning, said: “The abuse and crime these business owners have had to face is utterly abhorrent.

“It was shocking to hear first-hand what businesses have gone through. I grew up in Shirley and Shirley has always been a welcoming place, and it should be welcoming for everyone.

“I’m grateful to the Police and Crime Commissioner Donna Jones for putting clear plans in place to support business owners. The funding offered by the Commissioner is whole-heartedly welcome and I hope goes someway to reassure business owners that they are valued and this is being taken very seriously.

“Southampton City Council is absolutely committed to working with the police and the Commissioner to solve this issue in partnership. This is a positive first step and I look forward to seeing progress made in the coming weeks.”