Pennybridge Business Watch Area will mean that traders will work together to monitor any suspicious activity taking place on the estate, they will share information with one another, report their concerns to an Action Committee member, who will in turn pass that information to the local police. The Police will email crime prevention warnings to other traders on the estate and target their resources to address concerns. The Pennybridge Business Watch Area has been set up in response to criminal activity in the recent past, which has impacted on business confidence and in some occasions the viability of the business enterprise. There is also the concern that in times of economic uncertainty criminals will continue to target viable businesses.
Ballymena PSNI has funded the production of the first batch of the Business Watch signs, and they will be prominently displayed on a number of business premises throughout the estate. Any traders who wish to display a sign should contact a member of the Action Committee or the Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Mrs Audrey Wales MBE, member of the Chamber of Commerce & Industry and the DPP said “It is important that businesses in Pennybridge realise that they could be the target of criminals. And it is a well-known fact that before a crime takes place professional criminals will ‘case the joint’, visit the business on some pretext or other. Business Watch will make owners and staff of businesses in Pennybridge, more security conscious, more aware of people that call at the business for no good reason and suspicious vehicles on the estate. Business watch will mean that businesses will now share that information with one another, a member of the Action Committee and the local PSNI. In short we all have to work together to prevent crime and Business Watch signs will send out a clear message to any would-be criminal that you are being watched! Further crime prevention measures will be pursued in the following months”.
Mayor Maurice Mills said that he was delighted to be present at the launch. “This is the first scheme of its kind in Northern Ireland – another precedent for Ballymena. The message is quite clear. The traders have had enough, criminals are not welcome and we are all determined that the rule of the law will apply in Pennybridge. I thank the PSNI for making this a priority. This demonstrates that we all care about our businesses in Ballymena”.
PSNI Chief Inspector Ryan Henderson said “The PSNI is happy to support this scheme. It is a great example of the community working together to make this a safer area to do business. I am confident that Business Watch will make a difference”.
