Commercial security teams replace police in three-day trial

A commercial company, Atraks, has been putting high-visibility staff onto selected streets in the Shirley area of Southampton in a demonstration of what residents and businesse can expect if they subscribe to its services.

Uniformed security officers equipped with handcuffs and stab vests have been showing residents what they could expect if they agree to pay £3.15 a week or a one-off annual payment of £163.80.

The boss of Atraks service, Dave MacLean said residents had been supportive. He said: “During the day things are not so bad but we’ve had lots of intelligence from the community telling us when and where things are occurring at night.”

The full Atraks service will include dedicated patrols of eight officers up to 60 times every 24 hours in every community that signs up, special patrols outside schools, escorts to shops and banks, and emergency response to alarms and other incidents. It will be tailored to the needs of residents.

The Atraks service, which is independent from the council and police, comes as police officer numbers in Hampshire have fallen over the past year, according to Home Office figures.

Read the rest of this item from the Hampshire Chronicle here

Read about Atraks on its website here