The battle to protect Leeds businesses from criminals

Gathered around the table are more than a dozen security staff from the city’s biggest department stores, shopping centres and supermarkets.

They are here for the weekly security briefing for retail members of Business Against Crime in Leeds (BACIL), a partnership which brings business from the day and night-time economy together to reduce crime and anti-social behaviour.

Naturally, known shoplifters who are active in the city are a major focus, with updates on bail conditions, talk about plans to seek exclusion or criminal behaviour orders, and members asking for help in identifying suspects caught on CCTV.

A store caution has been issued to a man with no previous convictions for shoplifting, but who is well known to police for bike thefts, burglary and thefts outside shops.

Another known shoplifter has been released from prison in Lancashire and is back to targeting phone shops, while a well-known beggar has been caught on camera stealing a charity box from behind the counter of a restaurant.

Aside from the shoplifters, there is talk about two different men caught outraging public decency and another who has been harassing female customers.

It is incidents like these that can also be shared in real-time via the BACIL radio network, meaning shop staff in the city centre and beyond can be on the lookout for people creating issues.

After the briefing, BACIL manager Sean Walker tells the YEP: “We have that weekly meeting because it works so well for us, the sense of community.”

The three-strong BACIL team have bases at Leeds Central Police Station and the Merrion Centre, but the majority of their time is spent out in the city centre and at the other key locations where they have members across Leeds.

Sean said: “People know Rachael, Sean and Tony from BACIL.

“They might not know our surnames but they know our faces.

“The idea is to get out there and to spend as much time out there as possible.

“If we get a store that’s being targeted who aren’t members, we’ll go to them and see what we can do to help.”

With the meeting completed, Sean heads into the city centre to have a chat to staff at a member shop that had reported an incident involving a known thief who threatened violence when confronted.

He listens to their concerns and shares advice, stressing the importance of calling 999 if there’s a repeat incident.

The next stop is a city centre retailer which has seen a significant drop in losses to shoplifting since signing up as a BACIL member.

It is hard to miss the wall of images of known shoplifters in the staff area, just one way the company has improved its detection rates.

The manager explains: “We got to a point where we got really huge losses compared with what we had been going in the past. It was gradually getting worse.

“The first port of call was Sean at BACIL. From that moment in time, we’ve worked very closely. It’s made a huge difference.”

Staff have been trained how to spot shoplifters and the techniques they use, and having the confidence to detain suspects until police arrive.

Now one of BACIL’s most active members, the manager says: “We’re all part of a team to try and support the city centre. There’s a real team effort of helping each other and I think that’s great.”

TECHNOLOGY AND TENACITY COMBINE TO HELP BACIL TEAM STAY AHEAD OF THE CRIMINALS

Crime maps, offender profiles and daily briefings are at the fingertips of those with access to the Business Against Crime in Leeds (BACIL) website.

Tied together with the BACIL app, radio network and staff training, it is part of a membership package designed to give businesses the knowledge they need to play an active role in reducing crime.