Crime-hit Southampton businesses launch plans to fund their own policing after spate of break-ins

A chain of coffee houses in the heart of Southampton has been targeted ten times in the past three years - and a restaurant next door to one of the victims has also been raided.

Now fed-up traders are calling for more police patrols in the area - and are even prepared to pay for extra security.

They want money generated by a city centre improvement scheme to be used to fund crime-busting measures such as private security patrols or additional Police Community Support Officers.

But police insist that resources are allocated according to need and say there is currently no mechanism for business bosses to "buy a bobby".

Six of the ten burglaries at Mettricks coffee houses in the city have taken place since the start of the year.

The latest occurred last week, when burglars smashed their way in and left the owner facing a £5,000 repair bill.

They also targeted the adjoining Tapas Barcelona restaurant, causing a similar amount of damage by destroying doors and throwing a safe down the stairs.

It follows another crimewave in which city centre businesses were targeted 200 times by thieves and burglars in the first six months of this year.

Now business leaders are looking at setting up their own security system in a bid to safeguard their premises.

They plan to pool their resources as part of the Go! Southampton Business Improvement District (BID) scheme, which aims to boost the city centre's reputation as a prime retail and entertainment destination.

If more than half the businesses vote in favour of the scheme all traders will help meet the cost of improvements such as increased security.

Annaliese Hughes of Delicious Dining, which owns Tapas Barcelona and eight other eateries, said cameras and extra streetlights were needed in the area.

She added: “I speak to the city council regularly about many different things and I know that resources are limited.

"The majority of money goes towards social care and housing, so there's nothing left to fund what the businesses need.

"The Southampton BID aims to finance additional services that the council and in some cases the police are unable to provide.

"The money could be used to pay for things such as additional street lighting and night-time security staff. It's a way of being proactive and helping the situation.

"Police are doing the best they can with the resources they've got but there aren't enough officers on the street."

Stewart Dunn, chief executive of Hampshire Chamber of Commerce, added: "There is currently great concern about business crime in the centre of Southampton.

"There seems to have been a recent spate of break-ins, which has heightened awareness.

"We all realise that the police are under pressure. The BID could provide additional services but it will be up to the board, once elected, to decide how the money is spent."

PICTURED: Mettricks in Guildhall Square, Southampton

Royston Smith, Tory MP for Southampton Itchen, said police were already taking action by stepping up neighbourhood patrols.

He added: "We need a mixture of things - an increased police presence, enhanced security by the traders themselves and the extra security that could be provided by the Southampton BID."

The BID will come into force next April if 51-per-cent of traders support the project in a ballot being held next month.

More than 600 businesses between Bedford Place and the waterfront, including the area bordered by Southampton Central Station and Southampton Solent University, are eligible to vote in the forthcoming referendum.

As reported in the Daily Echo, the far-reaching scheme was given the thumbs up at a recent meeting of the city council's ruling Cabinet.

Brad Roynon, chairman of the Go! Southampton steering committee, told councillors that the BID aimed to generate £5 million over its five-year term, plus an extra 25-per-cent of funding from private and public sector sources.

Spencer Bowman, owner of Mettricks, said: "Every day we see and feel both the challenges and the massive potential of our city centre community.

"Guildhall Square is being transformed by the emerging Cultural Quarter project and we will not let the few get in the way of us making a success of this area of our city."

Last night a police spokesman said: "We allocate police resources on the basis of need and constantly review this to meet the needs of our communities.

"There was an increase in commercial burglaries committed in the city centre between January and June but the number declined significantly in August and September.

"We arrested six people in relation to 32 offences and continue to investigate and monitor crimes against commercial premises through Operation Turbulent, which focuses on commercial burglaries.

"We link reports to identify patterns and manage repeatedly targeted locations.

"We are committed to protecting businesses from crime within the city and we do everything we can to make Southampton an enjoyable place to work and live."