Southampton has huge potential to develop as a regional leisure, retail and business destination.

But, just like every other town and city up and down the country it has issues with crime and anti-social behaviour - and this is the top concern of the business community.

GO! Southampton launched the nationally accredited Southampton Business Crime Partnership (SBCP) which enables more than 250 businesses and the police to share crime intelligence data.

Figures show shop theft has been reduced by 64% by SBCP members and more than £44,543 worth of stock has been recovered.

A total of 96 per cent of prolific offenders have been prosecuted, with 41 prison sentences secured.

GO! Southampton worked with partners to identify street-attached individuals who are causing the most harm through crime, including aggressive begging.

In 2021, the organisation was a partner in the launch of ‘Change The Way You Give’ campaign which provided targeted support for rough sleepers through local charities.

Another key priority has been successfully lobbying for more policing, leading directly to the reintroduction of the City Centre Unit – with seven officers dedicated to tackling serious crime and disorder.

The business community and visitors to Southampton have said they want a cleaner city. In 2018 the team launched a cleaning service with the council. More than 2,200 pieces of graffiti have been removed and 1,000 doorways hot-washed, helping 170 businesses.

The GO! Southampton street rangers have reported around 850 environmental issues and 96% of problems such as repairs to pavements, drains and lights have been fixed.

In partnership, the team has also been supporting businesses through the pandemic with social distancing signage and public health briefings. GO!Southampton has also worked on a number of initiatives including the BENCH project which saw 16 city centre benches designed and painted, bringing to life the high street in 2020

The team worked with local councils to help secure £57m funding through the Transforming City Fund to improve access across the city. They also played a key role in securing the airport runway extension which will be vital in bringing more visitors to Southampton.