One of the primary responsibilities of the Heart of London Business Alliance is one of creating a safer area for visitors and businesses alike. In order to do this we initiate and run a number of programmes in association with Westminster City Council and the Metropolitan Police, dedicated to reducing crime and anti-social behaviour.

Operations Manager
Our Operations Manager David Fereday works with businesses to understand their concerns about crime and anti-social behaviour. He works closely with the Police, City Guardians and Westminster City Council on crime reduction initiatives and is a voice for our area on crime issues. David co-ordinates the Radio Link Scheme and is Chair of Business Watch.

Please click here to contact David Fereday.

Business & Pub Watch

The Heart of London Business Watch and Pub Watch schemes were set up to help businesses and licensees reduce anti-social behaviour by sharing information.
Business Watch is chaired by Operations Manager David Fereday and gives businesses the opportunity to get to know each other at an operational level, meet with police and share information on local events and initiatives. Pub Watch is chaired by Dale Perkins from Zoo Bar and meets every quarter to discuss issues facing the licensing trade.

CafeWatch

CafeWatch was set up with the major coffee shop retailers to help tackle crime and anti-social behaviour.  The scheme will see greater staff training, awareness and a targeted approach by all the organisations involved to offer crime prevention advice to customers and visitors to the area.  CaféWatch meetings are held quarterly at the Heart of London offices and are a Westminster wide initiative.

Civic Watch

We play an integral role in the CivicWatch initiative - a scheme to bolster public safety and community confidence in the Heart of London, by improving the environment and reducing anti-social behaviour.

The project is driven by the most senior level within the Council and police - concentrating staff and resources on the problems identified by City Guardians, businesses and local residents.

Radio Link Scheme
59 businesses in the Heart of London have now joined the Radio Link scheme in a bid to fight crime in the area. The scheme enables businesses to quickly share valuable information and notify each other of criminal activity - helping safeguard customers, staff and premises.

One year on since the launch of the initiative, 155 arrests have been made which can be fully attributed to the scheme.

For the latest figures on the Radio Link Scheme please click here.

As more businesses link up to share valuable information via this route, we are confident that Radio Link will be an essential element in helping fight crime and anti-social behaviour in the area. Radios are available for all businesses in the area at no charge.

Please click here to contact David Fereday.

Dedicated Police Team

A dedicated Police team, the West End and China Town Safer Neighbourhood Team has been established to police the West End 'hot box' area, which includes the Heart of London area. An additional team of Special Constables has been introduced to support the police and patrol the area on Friday and Saturday nights to ensure that there is additional enforcement power on the streets at peak times.  This team includes three sergeants and 33 Special Constables. The team is led by Inspector David Scott, and comprises 2 Sergeants, 8 Police Constables and 8 Police Community Support Officers. The unit works closely with the Heart of London Business Alliance, City Guardians, CCTV and businesses and is based in the Heart of London.