Private Bobbies to curtail anti-social behaviour in Romford

A private security service has been hired to help reduce crime and “fear of crime” in Romford town centre.

Romford’s Business Improvement District (BID) – a service paid for by town centre businesses – granted My Local Bobby the contract to have wardens patrol the streets of Romford from Tuesday (August 1).

Their job will be to tackle anti-social behaviour and shoplifting and help residents and shoppers.

But despite their name, the Bobbies will not be enforcing Romford town centre’s hoodie ban.

A BID spokesperson said in a press release that the ‘Bobbies’ will work with it and local businesses to make “Romford safer for visitors”.

She said: “My Local Bobby will be providing a reassuring presence throughout Romford with regular patrols and will be pro-active and direct in dealing with issues when they arise.”

Romford’s two main Bobbies will be Chris Levy and Simon Cartman, who will “maintain regular contact with BID members to manage and reduce threats”.

The Bobbies, Chris and Simon, are reportedly accredited by the Security Industry Authority (Image: Romford BID)

The service is said to include collecting information, gathering evidence and providing intelligence to police and Havering Council so “persistent offenders” can be dealt with.

The spokesperson said the Bobbies will also have access to a crime reduction app – DISC- to be launched by the BID this year.

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The app enables local businesses to submit incident reports and share information with police.

She clarified that the Bobbies will not be responsible for enforcing Romford’s hoodie ban, which was announced in April to crackdown on anti-social behaviour, this will be done by security teams at Romford Shopping Hall.

My Local Bobby was co-founded by former Met Police Detective Chief Superintendent David McKelvey in 2016 to provide “public realm security services” across the country.

All the ‘Bobbies’ are said to be accredited by the Security Industry Authority and subject to a criminal record check.

The release said Bobbies also undergo additional training in trauma response, duty of care, and how to make citizens arrests and safely use handcuffs.

Romford BID director Julie Frost said they are “doing everything they can” to make Romford a “more attractive and safer destination”.

My Local Bobby operations director Ahmet Izzet added that they “know the town well” and can create a “safer community for all” through an effective partnership with the BID, the police, Havering Council, and the local businesses.

The BID is also funding a ‘street triage’ team of two first responders and a security officer with a rapid response vehicle to help injured or unwell people on nights out.