Police and other agencies have carried out a week-long crack-down of drunks, petty crime and anti-social behaviour in the Bold Street area of Liverpool.
Bold Street was once the preserve of exclusive fashion shops and furriers but now has in recent years become a focus for bars and restaurants who complained about crime-related problems.
Police worked with Liverpool City Council, the Liverpool City Centre Business Improvement District (BID), Trading Standards, the UK Border Agency and the Department for Work and Pensions to tackle problems in the area.
High visibility and plain clothes officers patrolled the streets to provide reassurance. They issued five people with directions to leave the area - a relatively new power which can lead to the arrest of anyone who returned within 24 hours.
The results of the operation were:
* 14 arrests in total - four arrests for public order offences, four arrests for begging in a public place, one arrest for being drunk and disorderly, two arrests for possession of controlled drugs and three arrest warrants were executed
* 25 stop checks were carried out which resulted in five alcohol seizures
* 25 fixed penalty notices were issued for traffic offences
* Five notices to leave were issued
* Two penalty notices were issued for selling alcohol to a person aged under 18 years in a test purchase operation with Trading Standards
The off-licences that sold alcohol to people under 18 were spoken to and Trading Standards will follow-up the breaches by looking at their licensing conditions.
Leaflets were issued to encourage homeless people to seek help from a variety of agencies working in the city centre.
People busking outside designated zones were told they could legally busk in the city centre without causing obstruction to businesses.
Acting Sergeant Stacey Ellison said: "The success of this operation is due to the cooperation and support of all the partners involved.
"We have collectively combined our resources to create an effective approach to tackle many concerns of the community in this area. This is a neighbourhood priority and we will continue to work together to maintain the standards achieved this week.
"We will keep addressing the needs of the community to improve public confidence and satisfaction and make the area a safer and more pleasant place to work and visit."
Ged Gibbons, acting chief executive of Liverpool City Central BID said: âWe have listened to the issues raised by our Bold Street businesses within the BID and welcomed the opportunity to work with in partnership with Merseyside Police, Liverpool City Council and other city centre agencies to tackle many of these problems.
"Respect week has been a great success, strongly supported by the businesses on Bold Street and this positive work will continue in the future.â
Councillor Marilyn Fielding, the city council's executive member for community safety said: "Crime in the city centre has dropped by 40 percent in the last three years thanks to our strong partnership work with Merseyside Police, the BID, the Chamber of Commerce and local businesses.
"This Respect week of action has not only tackled the issues that matter to business and shoppers, but also provided reassurance that the city centre is a safe place to live, work and visit."
Bold Street was also cleaned and many of the businesses and shoppers commented on the tidiness and cleanliness of the area.
Allan Whiteside, owner of Minskys Hair, said: "A police presence is always welcomed. It is nice to see the improvements it brings and it gave confidence for all concerned."
Ben Prescott, manager of SIZE?, said: "It's good to feel that staff are safe in the store. The street is more pleasant as a result."
Dalip Matta, manager of Matta's, said: "I have noticed the presence of the police and there was support if needed. It is safe for the customers as well."
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