The scheme was launched last year with the help of £130,000 of Scottish Executive funding and the pioneering partnership between police, city council and retailers sees bans imposed on known criminals entering premises.

Central to the scheme is the sharing of information with members receiving intelligence and photographs of criminals whose activities affect their trading environment and exclusion notices served to prevent a person committing crime in a certain shop.

The remit of the parking attendants will be to take advantage of their role in patrolling the streets of the city centre to watch out for crime and report it through the DUNCAN network.

In particular they will be on the look-out for car crime with the aim of making car parks and on-street parking safer for city centre workers and shoppers.

City council planning and transportation convener Fiona Grant said, “The DUNCAN initiative is a superb example of partnership working between Dundee City Council, Tayside Police, retailers and other organisations.

“DUNCAN is able to crack down on criminal behaviour and make the city centre an even better and safer place to shop.

“This will benefit everyone who comes into the city centre and the attendants will become a high-profile presence to keep up the success of DUNCAN.”

A spokesman for Tayside Police also welcomed the involvement of the parking attendants, who took over from traffic wardens employed by the police earlier this month.

He said, “Tayside Police recognise the contribution of everyone involved in the DUNCAN initiative towards the safety of people living in, working, and using Dundee city centre.

“The addition of the parking attendants to the fold is valuable as it will help to reinforce these efforts.”