Newbury Business Today

Taking care of business

6th March 2008

Email: businessreporter@newburybusinesstoday.co.uk

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POLICE community support officer Phil Lewis is the latest recruit in the battle against crime in West Berkshire, with the specific role of working with the business community. He talks to Richard Maynard about the job. The appointment of a dedicated business PCSO is a first for West Berkshire. This pioneering initiative, to provide an increased level of policing for the business community, has been created through cooperation between the Thames Valley Police, West Berkshire Chamber of Commerce, the Local Strategic Partnership, and local business, which got together to form a new Business Action Group. The officer in question is PCSO Phil Lewis. “The PCSO is a visible presence on the street, a deterrent,” he said. “Whereas a lot of PCSOs have areas with estates, parks and town centres, this is slightly different, because I’m going to to be looking after businesses, covering the industrial areas – Hambridge Road, Bone Lane, Colthrop. “While I’m out there I’ll hopefully be meeting the people from the companies, popping into to visit them and pushing the Business Action Group.” It is, he says, very much a proactive role, although businesses can also contact him with any issues, via an e-mail address, philip.lewis@thamesvalley.pnn.police.uk His role differs from that of a police constable in a number of ways. “We haven’t got the powers of arrest. We’ve got the power to detain someone for 30 minutes. If someone committed a crime and I wanted him arrested, I would have the power to detain them for 30 minutes. If they then scarper, that’s another offence on top of the original one. “We are in constant contact with police officers by radio.” PCSO Lewis will not be acting as a crime prevention advisor - West Berkshire has a specialist crime reduction advisor for that. His ongoing training, however, will include crime prevention. PCSO Lewis’ background is certainly more business than law enforcement. A Newbury man through and through, he spent 24 years working for the Post Office, mostly behind the counter in the main Cheap Street office in the town centre. “For the past four years I’ve been working at Vodafone HQ in a business support role.” The PCSO role, he said, offered a new challenge. “I needed a new challenge and a chance to put something back into the community.” What does he think the biggest challenge will be? “Getting the public back onside. It will help if they see us out and about.” Since finishing his training, he has been out on foot patrol, and his job will be made easier with the addition to his armoury of a car, provided for his use by Newbury company Bayer. The Business Action Group was set up in Newbury to improve engagement between police, partners and the business community. The initiative is part of neighbourhood policing, which is being introduced across Thames Valley and aims to encourage better communication between police, councils, housing associations and other agencies responsible for community safety, and the communities they work with. Adapting the successful model set up by Neighbourhood Action Groups (NAGs), the BAG will work to identify the most pressing business security issues, identify solutions and work with the appropriate agencies to put them into action. West Berkshire Local Police Area Commander Supt Chris Shead said: “We recognise that businesses are an important part of the community and therefore they need to be consulted. “Although the business community covers the whole of West Berkshire, we want to start at a level we can manage, so our area will initially cover Newbury centre and East, (excluding the town centre itself) and businesses along the A4 corridor through Thatcham towards Theale. “The reason for excluding the town centre is that they already have a successful Town Centre Steering Group, NAG and Shopsafe. “We are very excited by this new venture and the establishment of the BAG is the first in Thames Valley. Together, we can tackle the issues of the business community to reduce crime and disorder and thereby creating a better quality of life for all.” Steve Painter, of Bayer and the West Berkshire Chamber of Commerce, said: “It has been great to have the support of senior police officers, the local strategic partnership and local businesses in setting up not only the Business Action Group, but also the unique position of a PCSO for the business community. “Taken together, these pioneering initiatives will make a real difference to the way business crime issues are tackled in the West Berkshire area.”

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