(Image: T&A)
Public drunkenness, anti-social behaviour, drug dealing and dangerous e-bike riding are among the issues a new Bradford city centre partnership says it is determined to tackle.
The Bradford City Centre Action Partnership (CCAP) launched on Tuesday bringing together Bradford Council, West Yorkshire Police, Bradford BID and other organisations to make the city centre "clean, safe, attractive and welcoming".
Councillor Ian Walker (Reform UK, Wyke), the council’s portfolio holder for neighbourhoods and communities, said the scheme was created to coordinate organisations already working in the city centre.
"We saw that there was a need to improve the city centre," he said.
Councillor Ian Walker in discussion with partners. (Image: T&A)
"There's a lot of different partners that are working really hard in the city centre.
“We’ve got police, we’ve got the BID teams, we’ve got the street cleansing, we’ve got all manner of different partners, but it wasn't coordinated.
"So what we've done over the past couple of months is bring everything together."
What is the aim?
The partnership aims to restore confidence in the city centre and attract new businesses and investment to Bradford.
Cllr Walker said: "We've squeezed the sponge so dry, there's so little money left, we need to have money coming in."
Councillor Stephen Place (Reform UK, Royds), Leader of Bradford Council, said the city had suffered from a poor image for many years.
Councillor Place and Councillor Walker. (Image: T&A)
"Bradford sadly has been blighted for quite a while now with regards to the perception of the city centre and drunkenness, antisocial behaviour, drugs and young kids riding around the pedestrian areas doing wheelies on e-bikes," he said.
"This is a multifaceted task force with regards to addressing all those issues."
What can residents expect?
Asked what residents would actually see as a result of the initiative, Cllr Place pointed to both enforcement and environmental improvements.
He said people involved in public drunkenness, open drug dealing and illegal parking would be "dealt with".
He added: "It's about cleaning graffiti, washing the streets, cleaning chewing gum off the streets, things like that."
Chief Inspector Nick Haigh of West Yorkshire Police said the partnership would combine enforcement activity with support services.
Facial recognition in use in the city centre. (Image: T&A)
Speaking on Tuesday morning, CI Haigh said people in the city centre that day would see an increased police presence alongside council officers, neighbourhood wardens and outreach teams.
"You'll see our live facial recognition van deployed in the city centre," he said.
"We'll be engaging with the homeless outreach team to look at how we can provide more support and signpost them to effective services to get them the help and support that they require."
He stressed Tuesday’s Day of Action was only the start of a wider programme.
'Enforcement alone won't resolve concerns'
The T&A asked what plans were in place for people who may be struggling with mental health issues or other problems in the city centre but are not committing crimes.
CI Haigh said: "That's the whole purpose, enforcement alone won't resolve some of these community concerns.
"It's about providing people with the support and the help."
Cllr Place pointed to mental health, drug and alcohol rehabilitation and homelessness services already working in Bradford.
"All these people have all been brought together to make this a success and to give the people the right kind of care and help and guidance that they need," he said.
Council leaders and police said success would not be measured by crime figures alone.
Outreach teams at work in the city centre. (Image: T&A)
CI Haigh said city-centre crime had fallen by 2.5 per cent and positive outcomes had risen by 6 per cent, but public confidence remained a challenge.
"It's about addressing those perceptions, putting out that positive message, showing the communities that we are responding to their concerns," he said.
How will it be funded?
Leaders say the partnership has no major new funding pot.
Cllr Walker said: "The resources are here. What they weren't was coordinating.
“This is bringing it all together."
He added that funding was "limited" and the scheme would rely largely on existing staff and services working together more closely.
Cllr Place stressed that the initiative would "not cost council taxpayers a single penny".
The partnership initially focuses on Bradford city centre, but Cllr Place said it could eventually expand across the district.
"This is not just a one hit wonder thing," he said.
"We will then expand it out over time and obviously depending on the success of it, we'll look at Keighley and Shipley, Bingley, we'll look at the outer areas of Bradford."