A business-led safety scheme credited with transforming policing levels in Northampton town centre has won national recognition.
Northampton Town Centre Business Improvement District (BID) collected a Gold award at the National BID Awards in London this week for its Northampton Town Anti-Social Behaviour Reporting Scheme (NTARS), a five-year initiative designed to tackle anti-social behaviour and retail crime.
When the scheme was launched, the town centre had just two dedicated police officers. BID leaders say intelligence gathered through NTARS helped make the case for reinvestment. Today, the area is covered by an inspector, two sergeants, 14 police officers and six PCSOs.
The scheme gives levy-paying businesses access to DISC, a national crime-reporting platform that allows incidents to be logged in real time. Reports — ranging from begging and street drinking to harassment, criminal damage, graffiti and fly-tipping — are sent directly to West Northamptonshire Council’s anti-social behaviour team and the Northamptonshire Business Crime Partnership hub at Campbell Square police station.
Alongside the digital reporting system, BID-funded town centre hosts patrol with radios and body-worn cameras, gathering evidence and supporting traders. The BID provides training and works with police and council partners to ensure intelligence is shared quickly and acted upon.
Mark Mullen, operations manager at Northampton Town Centre BID, said the approach had changed the culture of communication between businesses and the authorities. “The combination of reporting tools, human presence and consistent communication creates a loop of intelligence, intervention and accountability,” he said. “Over time, NTARS has evolved beyond its original remit. The relationships between businesses and police are now stronger than at any point in recent memory.”
The data also underpinned Operation Workforce, an eight-week police initiative launched in August 2024 to tackle anti-social behaviour, retail crime, drug activity and serious violence. The operation resulted in 60 arrests, increased patrol visibility and strengthened business liaison. BID leaders say it has since led to longer-term changes in policing patterns across the town centre.
The scheme has also supported earlier intervention around rough sleeping and prompted new safety measures, including CCTV pods first piloted at Vintage Guru. Following the trial, the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner committed funding for a wider rollout from summer 2025.
Now regarded as a benchmark for business-led security across Northamptonshire, the model is being adapted in Kettering, Wellingborough and Kingsthorpe. It has also contributed to Northampton retaining its Purple Flag accreditation for a seventh consecutive year.
NTARS is funded primarily by Northampton Town Centre BID, with support from West Northamptonshire Council and Northampton Town Council. Delivery partners include pfbb UK, Northamptonshire Police, the Northamptonshire Business Crime Partnership and the Office of the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner.
