SECURITY guards could soon be hired by Weston town centre traders to cut down on petty crime and thievery plaguing shopkeepers. Shop owners will be asked whether they want to team together to fund one or potentially a team of security guards to patrol the

SECURITY guards could soon be hired by Weston town centre traders to cut down on petty crime and thievery plaguing shopkeepers.Shop owners will be asked whether they want to team together to fund one or potentially a team of security guards to patrol the High Street.The scheme would be aimed at the shops at the southern end of the High Street and the area surrounding it, and would work in conjunction with Storenet, a radio system operated by various bodies including the police.Shopkeepers call the Storenet system for help or to warn other shoplifters of crime. It is hoped a paid-for security guard would be able to react quicker than the police while also taking pressure off police resources.The security guards would be employed by the Weston Town Centre Partnership, based at the Winter Gardens. The idea was thought up by Daniel Auge, owner of the McDonald's franchises in Regent Street and in Worle.