Police praise BCRP for help in handling 'counter-Jihad' protest

In the run-up to the 'counter-Jihad' English Defence League's street protest in Bradford on August 28th, West Yorkshire police needed to communicate with local businesses. They wanted to help them prepare for what was billed to be a highly disruptive event. So they turned to Bradford's Business Crime Reduction Partnership, City Centre Beat.

Explains Steve Baker, manager of City Centre Beat: "The police came to us with a need to communicate to local traders. We use BCRP Intranet to link with our 170 members and through it we were able to keep them informed about the upcoming event on an on-going basis, and also to inform them about meetings that the police were organising to put traders' minds at rest. It's a fantastic tool and, without it, getting information out to our Members and organising police meetings would have been much more difficult".

The event had been covered in local media which had warned of major disruptions, especially after counter demonstrations were announced for the same day. In the end some 1,500 police were deployed to keep the protesters apart and to maintain law and order. The day passed without the violence and disruption that had been widely expected.

"Retailers didn't know what to expect" says Steve Baker. "Should they open? Should they board up their shops? The police were able to work with City Centre Beat, using BCRP Intranet, to put minds at rest, and to provide practical advice about what to do and expect during the day. In the event, the demo passed off peacefully and our members were full of praise for the council and the police. For their part, the police were very complimentary about our communication system with Members and the level of involvement that it ensures"

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