BCRP Awareness Week: Shaping the Safety of Brighton’s Night-Time Economy
Brighton’s night-time economy is a vital part of the city's social fabric, drawing residents and visitors alike to its vibrant array of venues and activities. However, ensuring the safety and well-being of everyone in this dynamic environment presents a constant challenge. The Brighton Crime Reduction Partnership (BCRP) has played an integral role in shaping the safety of Brighton’s night-time economy, focusing on crime prevention, vulnerability protection, and collaboration with key local stakeholders.
Proactive Crime Prevention and Early Intervention
At the heart of our approach is real-time intelligence-sharing. Through our secure network, we connect businesses, police, and partner agencies, allowing us to share crucial information on incidents as they happen. This proactive communication ensures a fast response to emerging issues, preventing crime from escalating and protecting both staff and customers.
In addition to our day-to-day operations, BCRP hosts the weekly Friday night intelligence-sharing briefings, where security teams and venue managers come together for quick, 10-minute updates. During these sessions, we share critical intelligence regarding crime trends, offenders, and emerging issues in the night-time economy. These briefings ensure that businesses are equipped with the most up-to-date information, enabling them to respond effectively to challenges in real time. As well as helping to build relationships and trust from all partners that operate within our city to create a safer space for all.
Supporting Vulnerability and Safety in the Night-Time Economy
The Brighton Crime Reduction Partnership (BCRP) has played a pivotal role in developing several key initiatives aimed at enhancing safety within the night-time economy. These include creating the Mobile Support Unit Accreditation, introducing Ask 4 Angela to the city with approval from its creators in Lincolnshire, rolling out vulnerability and spiking awareness training for night-time economy staff, and collaborating with Sussex Police to establish and create the Night Safety Marshal project.
These initiatives are specifically designed to address vulnerability, combat sexual violence, enhance the skills of security and venue staff, and ensure a visible presence in high-risk areas. Together, they form a comprehensive strategy to prevent crime and ensure that everyone can experience Brighton’s night-time economy with confidence and without fear of harm.
Training, Education, and Cultural Change
As part of our mission to create long-term safety in the night-time economy, BCRP is committed to education and cultural change. Our training programmes for venue staff equip them with the knowledge and skills to respond to issues such as vulnerability, spiking, and harassment. We also continue to advocate for cultural shifts in the way behaviours like harassment and hate crime are handled, encouraging people to report incidents and not tolerate any form of violence or discrimination.
By engaging with local businesses and raising awareness about how to prevent and respond to crime, we’ve helped foster a zero-tolerance approach to unsafe behaviour in the night-time economy, creating a safer environment for all.
Collaboration with Key Local Stakeholders
A significant part of BCRP’s success lies in our strong partnerships with local police, businesses, and partner organisations such as Safe Space, the Water Safety Partnership, the Suicide Prevention Partnership Group, Brighton Beach Patrol, the Coastguard and Change Grow Live.
We continue to work closely with Sussex Police to ensure that issues in the night-time economy are swiftly addressed and that crime is prevented through visible deterrents and early intervention. These collaborations are key to tackling anti-social behaviour and violence in the night-time economy, which can otherwise have a profound impact on the safety of the community.
Looking Forward
As the night-time economy continues to evolve, BCRP remains committed to ensuring safety for all. We will continue to support innovative initiatives, foster strong partnerships, and share intelligence to create an even safer environment. Our legacy of helping shape initiatives like the Night Safety Marshal team continues, and we will always be at the forefront of efforts to create a vibrant, safe, and secure night-time economy in Brighton.
📌 Want to know more? Contact us to find out how BCRP membership can help you and your customers feel safer