CRACKDOWN OVERRATED
Traders cast doubt on cops’July effort
Traders in the city centre say a crime crackdown was not as big a success as figures have suggested.
The Observer reported last month how a joint operation between police and Stirling Council saw a drop in crime.
Called Operation Steadfast, it was a onemonth initiative held in Friars Street, Baker Street, Back Walk and Murray Place throughout July.
It saw police officers and council officers bidding to reduce specific crime and antisocial behaviour issues affecting businesses, residents and members of the public in the section of the city around Friars Street, with a temporary police base set up there.
Statistics showed a 50 per cent drop in victim–reported crime, with an 81 per cent rise in proactive police captures. Officers recorded a 75 per cent decrease in violent assaults with instances of shoplifting also down on the same period last year.
But business owners say the project was a temporary fix and only succeeded in driving crime to other parts of the city centre. They want regular culprits banned from the area.
Jonathan Holwell, owner of the Friars Wynd Hotel, said: “The police operation is welcomed by all the business owners I have spoken to. Unfortunately the initiative only has a suppressing effect when the police are physically present.