Private bobbies patrolling the town centre have dealt with 69 incidents in just over a month, Romford Business Improvement District (BID) has claimed.

Romford BID, which operates on behalf of town centre businesses, hired private security agency My Local Bobby in August to reduce crime and “fear of crime” in the area.

The bobbies were tasked with tackling anti-social behaviour, shoplifting and help shoppers and residents feel safe.

More than a month after their appointment, the Bobbies have revealed that they have already handled 69 incidents.

Romford Recorder: Romford’s two main private Bobbies, Chris Levy and Simon CartmanRomford’s two main private Bobbies, Chris Levy and Simon Cartman (Image: Romford BID)They have also reportedly recovered goods worth £6,077 that had been stolen from stores such as B&M, Home Bargains, Primark, Sports Direct and M&S.

The event, held on Thursday (September 14) was held to mark the launch of the second term of Romford BID, a service paid for by town centre businesses.

On the event night Romford BID Director, Julie Frost, talked through the BID’s objectives for the next five years. This included "working in parallel with town centre stakeholders to make BID more attractive to future investors", with tackling crime being one of the aspects.

Romford Recorder: Romford BID director, Julie Frost, with the local Bobbies and other attendees at the eventRomford BID director, Julie Frost, with the local Bobbies and other attendees at the event (Image: Sandra Rowse Photography)The private bobbies, along with an undercover team from My Local Bobby’s sister company TM Eye, are meant to “enhance the safety of the area”, a spokesperson for BID said.

Their service is said to include collecting information, gathering evidence and providing information to police and Havering Council so “persistent offenders” can be dealt with.

The Bobbies, she added, also have access to DISC (the crime reduction app) which the BID funds. It is an online information sharing system which local businesses can use to submit incident reports to the police.

Hailing their achievements, Ms Frost said: “It was brilliant to have My Local Bobby and TM Eye at the event to discuss their phenomenal results – they are making a hugely positive impact in the town by working in partnership with the local council, the police, and other stakeholders to reduce crime and anti-social behaviour.”

In addition, Romford’s BID also funds a Street Triage team to offer support to “injured or unwell people” in the town centre on Friday and Saturday nights.