Independent business owners suffering from a burglary epidemic today thanked Merseyside Police and the ECHO for bringing those responsible to justice.

An emergency meeting was called in April this year after we revealed a crime wave plaguing bars and restaurants in Liverpool city centre.

Some victims were even considering hiring their own security wardens to tackle determined crooks operating in Bold Street and Dale Street.

Frustrated owners sought help from the police, council representatives and members of Liverpool Business Investment District (BID).

Officers have arrested 19 suspects since April 10 and six of these men are now facing more than 11 years behind bars in total.

They include:

Alan Bell, 45, of Prescot Road, Old Swan - jailed for 18 months

James Riley, 38, of Boundary Street, Vauxhall - jailed for two years and four months

Marshall Tung, 30, of no fixed address - jailed for three years

Daniel Tung, 18, of no fixed address - jailed for two years

James Quarton, 28, of no fixed address - jailed for five months

Colin Spicer, 47, of Seel Street, Liverpool - jailed for 20 months

Gareth Morgan, who owns Dead Crafty Beer Company, suffered 1,600 of damage to a window and till area when Spicer and Bell struck.

He described the crime spree as an epidemic, but today said: It just shows what the police can do when they have the right resources for something.

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Our CCTV has helped to catch one of these guys, so that was clearly worth the investment.

I think the ECHO drawing attention to it has certainly helped and possibly made the police step things up - which they have done and has clearly been a good thing.

Staff at nearby Dale Street Eatery were also happy with the results, tweeting they could sleep a little better after hearing Spicer had been jailed.

Tariq Batayneh runs the restaurant with his wife Lenka Balkova, which twice had its windows smashed during raids by Spicer and Quarton.

She said it was so sad to watch people on CCTV smashing through the business you have worked so hard on and ruining our livelihoods.

But today Mr Batayneh said: We feel a lot better after these results and we would like to thank the police for their work.

We would also like to thank the Liverpool ECHO who really helped us to get the message out. We just feel a lot safer now.

Both Dale Street Eatery and Dead Crafty Beer are now working with the council to look at installing new shutters at their premises.

City centre councillor Nick Small, who organised the urgent meeting, said small independent businesses were the lifeblood of our city centre.

The talks were also attended by Otto Mellouki, who runs Koop and Bakchich restaurants in Bold Street, both of which had been targeted.

A community policing team patrolled the areas to offer reassurance, while officers visited businesses to provide security advice.

Meanwhile undercover and uniformed officers walked city centre streets during the day and night to identify those responsible.

Superintendent Mark Wiggins said: Business burglaries are not victimless crimes.

Many of these businesses are local people who just want to earn a living and the actions of this group have not just left businesses out of pocket, they have the potential to damage the confidence of those local people running the businesses.

We committed resources to help combat this problem following a series of burglaries.

I hope todays result sends a strong message to anyone considering this type of criminality to think again.

Supt Wiggins said it was in everyones interest to help solve and prevent crimes against people providing a vital service to our communities.

He added: Liverpool city centre has continued year on year to be awarded Purple Flag status, and is consistently recognised as one of the safest cities in the UK.

We will continue to work hard with our partners to ensure the city remains a safe place with a good reputation, which encourages people to continue to enjoy what the city has to offer.

Anyone with information about these incidents is urged to contact Merseyside Police on 101 or the confidential Crimestoppers number 0800 555 111.

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Independent business owners thank police and the ECHO for ending burglary "epidemic" - Liverpool Echo