Kettering anti-social behaviour reporting system expanded to other shopping areas in town
Kettering’s anti-social behaviour reporting system for retails businesses has been expanded to other shopping areas in the town.
Northamptonshire Business Crime Partnership (NBCP), working together with Kettering Town Council will use the Kettering Anti-Social Behaviour Reporting System known as KARS – currently used the town centre and the Grange shopping precinct – to include many other retail areas in the town.
KARS will now extend to help businesses prevent and detect anti-social behaviour in Highfield Crescent, London Road, Hampden Crescent, St Stephen’s Road, St John’s Road, Brambleside and Lake Avenue.
The NBCP together with the Northants Police, local anti-social behaviour (ASB) officers and businesses has been working together to prevent and deter criminal activities as well as disrupt the root causes of ASB, enhancing community safety for shoppers, workers and visitors.
Alison Farr from NBCP said: “We are very pleased that Kettering Town Council have not only renewed the KARS scheme, but also expanded it, so we can support more businesses improve the environment in the area of retail outlets across Kettering.
"This is building on the successes that we have already seen in the last 12 months, with increased police patrols and the recruitment of wardens by North Northamptonshire Council to help enforce current ASB legislation to keep Kettering safe.
"The NBCP already works in partnership with Northants Police and manages all the Retail Crime Initiatives across the county, seeing fantastic results in the identification and prosecution of offenders.’’
KARS uses technology, known as DISC, to enable member businesses to identify people responsible for anti-social behaviour and submit reports to the Business Crime Partnership via an app.
Intelligence is then passed to neighbourhood police, North Northants community safety officers, the environment department and other relevant agencies to take appropriate action.
Kettering Town Council (KTC) has allocated funding to enable the system to be managed for another year, to ensure that all businesses in the primary shopping areas of the town can be part of this scheme free of charge.
Cllr Andy Byatt (Green /Kettering Central), chairman of the KTC’s finance committee which approved the increase in funding, said: “The town council under its new administration is determined to improve the safety and security of people who visit and work in the town centre and local shopping centres – this is the first of several initiatives to make our town centre and shopping areas better places to visit and work.”
Businesses in Kettering are being invited to join to ‘actively participate’ in the scheme.
To get involved email [email protected] and ask for access to KARS.