News that the BBC beefed up security at Media City in Salford may come as a surprise to staff working in and around Television Centre in west London – which has around five times the amount of crime in its postcode W12 7RJ as that reported in Salford M50 2EQ.
The Telegraph today reports on an email sent by Rhian Roberts, head of development at Radio 5, to colleagues: “I’ve been looking at on-site security on 5 live’s behalf following a couple of incidents – and also the reality that MediaCity is a different kettle of fish to W12.”
She said that staff could could have security escorts to ‘nearby car parks and tram stops”.
The Telegraph reports that a handful of BBC workers have fallen victim to crime in Salford over the last year, including: one employee shot at with an air rifle as he cycled home, a producer chased by a gang after confronting them as they tried to steal bikes and a security guard who was assaulted.
The Crime Map for Salford M50 2EQ for February shows 252 reported crimes including 2 robberies and 14 incidents of violent crime.
By contrast W12 7RJ, the postcode around Television Centre in west London, experienced 1307 crimes in February – including 45 robberies and 153 incidents of violent crime.
It would seem that Salford is a “different kettle of fish” from Shepherd’s Bush – a much safer one.
The Telegraph reports that the email was sent around last year, when the BBC was new to the Media City site and it was relatively deserted.
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