With its theatres, restaurants and an internationally recognised museum, Bolton town centre has something for all ages.
Along with Bolton Market, Market Place Shopping Centre, the town provides a good mix of retail and leisure, despite what some may say.
And Bolton's police officers are making sure it is a welcoming place for all - businesses and visitors -as they crackdown on town centre crime, notably shoplifting and anti-social behaviour.
Police chiefs say their work in the town centre has been a success.
The Bolton shoplifting team, which was assembled 18 months ago, has seen “major improvement” in terms of tackling crime on the high street including shoplifting, burglary and the sale of illegal goods.
Across August and September, the team secured 27 arrests, from which 50 charges were brought – 38 for shoplifting / theft offences, six for failures to appear at court, five community behaviour order breaches, and a burglary offence.
Sgt Jess Prudence, of GMP’s Bolton town centre team said: “Not a day goes by when there’s not an issue in Bolton town centre regarding retail crime.
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“It’s something that we’re now looking to really crack down on to keep our high streets safe for everyone to enjoy.
“The shoplifting team is relatively new to Greater Manchester Police and is largely made up of new recruits, so it’s a good way of helping them develop specialist skills in crime prevention and securing arrests.”
Sgt Prudence added that the teams work in shift patterns to ensure that there’s “always someone patrolling” on the high street to reassure the public.
The shift patterns include Monday – Saturday from 7am – 11pm and on Sundays from 10am to 8pm.
The teams deal with everything from issues of major violence to kids hanging around the streets
She adds: “So far, we’ve seen a positive response and a lot more engagement from the community.
“People appreciate seeing an increased police presence in the area and as a result we’ve had lots more crime being reported.
“We try to work on what’s causing the issue in the first place, for example if someone is homeless, we want to deal with the root of the problem to make sure similar issues don’t happen in the future.
“We work alongside Bolton Council, a number of homeless charities and Samaritans to ensure that these people are getting the help they need.
“The shoplifting team is also prioritising working alongside retail business owners, and we hold quarterly crime business meetings with representatives from local stores to receive feedback on our practices.
“Any retailers in the town centre can talk to local officers to see how we can help them.”
The team is taking part in the National Business Crime Centre's (NBCC) Safer Business Action Week (SaBA Week), with a jam-packed schedule of activity as they continue to secure arrests and charges for retail offences in Bolton.
This will include proactive policing, locating offenders, and visiting premises – both to provide advice and to crack down on business offences in conjunction with partners.
Sgt Prudence said: “We want to encourage members of the public to report any offences, as it will be dealt with.
“It could help us to build up an intelligence picture of someone, which helps us to do our jobs.
“We are looking to make the high streets safer for everyone, so I encourage you to report crime where you see it.”
Officers have urged anyone with any concerns about crime or anti-social behaviour on the roads or otherwise in their communities to get in touch by calling 101 or 999 in the event of an emergency.
Alternatively, witnesses can also call independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously on 0800 555 111.
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