These are the pagers which are set to crack town centre crime in Wickford.

The Vodaphone equipment has been handed out to shopkeepers to enable them to quickly contact each other and the police to warn of any trouble.

Most of Wickford's major stores, including Somerfield, WH Smith, Adrian's and the Co-Op, have agreed to take part in the innovative Shop Alert scheme.

It is the brainchild of Wickford Pride, a group made up of shops, the council, Neighbourhood Watch and the police to make the town a more pleasant place to live and work in.

A second pager scheme - Pub Alert - is set to be launched on July 27. It will mean pub landlords can also rapidly get in touch with each other.

PC Geoff Whiter, Wickford's community liaison officer, said: "If someone gets barred for bad behaviour a message can be sent within 60 seconds to all the other pubs in the district so the licensees can be made aware.

"Then if the person comes into their pub they can keep an eye on them."

On alert - David Danielli from Vodafone, and crime prevention officer Colin Mead

Picture: STEPHEN LLOYD

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