Winchester BID Rangers recover £100,000 in stolen goods

A security team in Winchester has hit a major milestone by recovered more than £100,000 worth of stolen goods in the city centre.

The Winchester Business Crime Reduction Partnership (WBCRP) and Winchester Business Improvement District (BID) Rangers were formed in 2018 with the aim of reducing business crime, antisocial behaviour and low level crime.

The group has now retrieved over £100,000 worth of goods and returned them to businesses in Winchester.

The Rangers work closely with local businesses, Hampshire Constabulary, Winchester City Council and BID to help their efforts of combatting theft.

They are highly trained security professionals that are accredited under the Community Safety Accreditation Scheme (CSAS) and certified by the Security Industry Authority (SIA).

BID lists the Rangers’ key functions as being crime prevention and recovery, supporting the local Shopwatch and Pubwatch schemes, real-time assistance and customer engagement and public safety.

Hannah Hitchon, Shopwatch chair, said: “It is with the greatest pride that the BID Rangers have surpassed the stolen property recovery figure of £100,000.

“This figure has been recovered over a challenging time, including the pandemic, which naturally impacted the vital role that they played in protecting our local area.

“As such they should be commended for their hard work and resilience over the last six years.

“My heartfelt thanks go out to the Rangers for the continuing hard work and dedication that they offer both the public and local businesses and here’s to many more years of the same!”

The group have been recognised for their efforts by the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC).

BID Ranger Brett Jones received an OPCC award in 2023 for his commitment to public safety.

Winchester BID Business Crime Reduction Manager Jane Bastock has been honoured with a 2025 OPCC award nomination for her leadership in business crime reduction over the past decade.

On the efforts by the Rangers, Ms Bastock said: “I am very proud of this achievement. This demonstrates not only the success of the BID Rangers scheme but that of the Radio Link and Shopwatch schemes, which businesses in Winchester utilise to alert suspicious or offending behaviour in their store or in the city.

“I would also like to thank the local police and Winchester City Council CCTV Control Room for their continued support with these schemes.”

Following the milestone, the WBCRP and Winchester BID remain committed to strengthening security initiatives and supporting businesses in tackling crime.

Cheif Inspector Korine Bishop, Winchester district commander, said: “This milestone demonstrates the importance of the BID Rangers to the partnership effort needed to keep the city centre a safer environment for all.

“Our officers, including those from our dedicated city centre Neighbourhood Policing Team, will continue to work with the BID Rangers and all our partners to reduce and prevent crime.”