BUSINESSES blighted by vandalism and anti-social behaviour will be protected by increased police patrols in Redditch's town centre.

Officers will be stepping up patrols to provide a visible presence in the town centre on a daily basis, with a focus on tackling business crime.

It comes after West Mercia Police and Crime Commissioner John Campion and MP Rachel Maclean met with business owners on the issue in June.

The duo heard from Tim Cangaj, owner of Three Cooks Bakery, and Dean Corrigan, owner of Heaphy’s Menswear, who both had their windows smashed.

Owner of Deniz Turkish Barber, Omar Palali, also raised concerns over the vandalism, which was leaving businesses having to fork out money on repairs.

Action will now be taken to increase patrols in the hope of deterring vandals and providing reassurance to the community.

Police and Crime Commissioner John Campion said: “When the communities of West Mercia raise their concerns, I will listen and act where possible.

"These residents shouldn’t have to suffer and fear crime.

"By working in partnership with Rachel and West Mercia Police, we can hopefully bring some reassurance to these businesses that we are taking their concerns seriously and working hard to prevent crime.”

Redditch MP Rachel Maclean said she will continue to monitor the issue.

She said: “Myself and John promised to act and that’s what we have done.

"The business owners we spoke to have suffered too long from the damage caused by the callous vandals.

“With the police increasing their patrols of the town centre we should hopefully see a fall in the number of anti-social behaviour and vandalism incidents.

"However, I will continue to work with John and the police to monitor the situation to see what other action we can take to tackle anti-social behaviour and vandalism.”

Residents are also urged report any incidents of anti-social behaviour or vandalism by calling the non-emergency number 101.