Watch initiatives: Office, Pub
and Hotel Watch
Office Watch
Pub Watch
Hotel Watch
Office
Watch
This scheme has been running for about
seven years and meets three or four times a year to promote a safe
and crime free office environment. With regular inputs from the
City of London Police Counter Terrorism Section and crime
prevention advice, this meeting is a must for security and
facilities managers of all office buildings.
The purpose is to provide an opportunity for local business
representatives to meet and network any problems and their
solutions, and also to look into local and seasonal crime trends
affecting the area and to update with relevant information such as
terrorist updates, changes to legislation, results of police
operations. As ward councillors are also in attendance, this
provides a chance for any non police issues to be dealt with.
Regular presentations and talks are offered to premises suffering
any crime, and seasonal road shows are arranged throughout the year
to coincide with identified trends.
There six office watch schemes in operation:.
Newgate Office Watch
Bread Street (Ward 6) and Farringdon Within (Ward
17)
This is a quarterly meeting, and is open to all
businesses on the above wards.The Watch consist of the following
organisations, London Stock Exchange, Goldman Sachs, Merrill Lynch,
Fidelity Investments, Lexicon Partners, Broadgate Estates, CB
Richard Ellis, Warwick Court, LaSalle Investment management, Allen
& Overy, SEB Merchant Banking, Atisreal, BT, Nomura Bank. The
meetings are designed to share information about current security
threat levels, crime trends, current building works that may affect
the representatives companies etc.
In addition to this meeting there is also the Ludgate Security
Meeting, which is held for various companies associated with
Broadgate Estates. This is also a meeting that is held on a
quarterly basis and is hosted by Broadgate Estates, at their
premises at either 10 Fleet Place or 100 New Bridge Street.
Bridge (Ward 7) and Billingsgate (Ward
4)
Meetings are held 2-3 times per year. The purpose
is to provide an opportunity for local business representatives to
meet and network any problems and their solutions, and also to look
into local and seasonal crime trends affecting the area and to
update with relevant information such as terrorist updates, changes
to legislation, results of police operations
Barbican Office watch
Coleman St (Ward 12) and Cripplegate (Ward
15)
The watch consists of, among others, the following organisations:
Linklaters, Citypoint, U.B.S, Barbican Arts Centre, The Brewery,
and Nomura Bank. The meetings are designed to share information
about current security threat levels, crime trends, current
building works that may affect the representatives
companies, etc.
Dowgate (Ward 16) and Vintry (Ward 22)
The idea behind these meetings is to bring people that work locally
together to create a community feel and assist them to network with
each other. There is normally a presentation at these meetings,
which is considered to be of interest to them for work purposes
such as “ Identity fraud “, “Immigration Matters “ and “Personal
Safety”. The attendees also have a chance to bring up any issues,
as there is normally a representative of the Council Members for
each ward.
Fleet Street Office Watch
Castle Baynard (Ward 10) Farringdon Without (Ward
18)
This is open to all business on the ward. The meetings are designed
to share information about current security threat levels, crime
trends, current building works that may affect the representatives
of companies, etc. The watch meetings are held at different
locations within the ward, and invitations are sent out, along with
dates and times of meetings being advertised.
Aldgate (Ward 2) and Lime
Street (Ward 20)
Representatives from within the
business community within those two wards are welcome to
participate on these office watch meetings
Pub watch
This scheme has been
running for about seven years and is held three or four times a
year in various licensed premises in the area. The purpose is to
promote good relations and information sharing between licensees
and police, to help promote public safety and to reduce crime. The
‘SAFETY THIRST’ scheme has been promoted through the Pub Watch
which seeks to have every licensed premises accredited as a safe
drinking
environment.
Bishopsgate Piggybacks scheme
This scheme piggybacks off the Bishopsgate pub watch and has
evolved in to a cluster pub watch made up of 5 wards. The purpose
of this initiative is to promote good relations and intelligence
sharing between the public houses and the police, and to help
promote safety and reduce crime in and around the locations. The
`safety thirst scheme` has been promoted through pub watch, and
various crime reduction and staff training initiatives are run by
the police.
Hotel Watch
Hotel vulnerability
Over the last few years there has been an increase in hotel
development within the Square Mile which now boasts 10 hotels with
a capacity in excess of 2160 rooms. There are also two hostels
catering for the younger tourist and backpackers. At any time there
could be in excess of 4300 guests accommodated in the
City.
Hotel crime within Greater London has become a lucrative pastime
for the criminal.
If this is not addressed in a professional and competent way within
the City of London our hotels could become a magnet for the
experienced criminal.
To this end 'Hotel Watch' has been formed by the
City of London Police and Safer City Wards partnership. This
engages the Hotel industry within the Square Mile and is a joint
venture under the Partnership
umbrella.
Aims of Hotel watch:
-
Identify and minimise potential crime trends within the hotel
environment
-
Introduce best practice for managing crime scenes within those
environments
-
Encourage the collection and dissemination of intelligence and
information
-
Promote a safe and crime free environment for visitors and
staff
-
Promote training and awareness in dealing with current crime and
terrorism trends, both real and perceived
-
Promote the identification of local issues and problems, to seek
effective and lasting solutions and thereby reduce the fear of
crime
-
Promote tourism within the safe environment of the
City of London