Data/intelligence, including information on repeat victimization,

photographs of suspects and protocols for their use

Law enforcement

Public reassurance

Advice on designing out crime

Problem-oriented policing

Intelligence-led policing

Schools liaison

Help from other agencies to reduce crime.

Fulfilling the requirements of S17/ Best Value.

Potential impact on overall recorded crime.

Responding to concerns of business.

Traditional focus on enforcement rather than prevention – though this is changing

Capacity to manage/process data.

Data protection

Bradford’s crime reduction strategy includes extending the existing repeat victimisation scheme to include victims of commercial burglary.

Contact:

Chief Insp David Young 01274 373523

Gillian Mayfield 01274 752035

Thames Valley Police are committed to raising the profile of business crime, both within the organisation and within local communities.

The Force has set up a Business Crime Centre and appointed a Business Crime Liaison Officer. Projects include:

• ‘Operation Furnace’ - an project to gain information about the supply and demand for stolen property

• undertaking business crime surveys

Contact: Thames Valley Police on 01865 846000

Local knowledge and experience of crime.

Feedback on workable solutions.

Expertise, eg in project planning, project management or specific technologies.

Information sharing – including collation of intelligence databases

Participation, eg in retail crime operations

Resources

Reduced crime improves profitability/ keeps businesses viable / reduces stress on staff.

Benefits arising from community involvement.

Access to funds

Commercial pressures may appear to conflict with crime reduction measures.

Concern about alerting potential criminals to their vulnerability.

Leading retailers are working with Crime Concern on Primary Action – an initiative that engages with young people at a critical stage in their development.

Contact: Youth Action Plus on 01793 863516

Blackpool, Stevenage and Worcester are among retail crime operations to have introduced exclusion notice schemes. Persistent and prolific offenders convicted of an offence are served with a notice banning them from the premises of all members of the scheme.

Small Business Service

Feedback from and support to local businesses.

Retains/Improves business competitiveness.

Small businesses less likely to fail

Remit to promote enterprise in disadvantaged neighbourhoods.

No specific remit on reducing crimes.

Tenants and owners on Sandwell’s industrial estates established partnerships with the police, local council, Groundwork Trust and Environment Agency. Measures introduced included repairing and erecting new perimeter fencing and introducing a Business Security plan for each estate.

Feedback from / representation of business.

Advice and information to business.

The North West London Chamber of Commerce leads the Harrow Business and Retail Crime Strategy Group. This group in turn gives direction to six ‘Business against Crime’ groups representing more local business communities.

The Chamber commissioned a survey of its members, then held an open forum to find out what the fears of businesses were and what could be done about them.

Contact: North West London Chamber of Commerce on 0208 4272884

As part of Coventry’s crime audit the Chamber of Commerce conducted a fax back survey of 2000 businesses in the city.

The Chamber has also supported the setting up of 12 Business Action Groups, or business watches, across Coventry.

National Trade Associations

Act as focus.

Able to spread good practice nationally.

Members’ top priorities may not relate to crime.

The British Oil Security Syndicate (BOSS) was formed in 1991 by the oil industry, together with the Petrol Retailers Association (PRA), Home Office Crime Prevention College and the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO).

BOSS aims to reduce the amount of crime taking place on Britain's petrol forecourts

Details of crime, including unreported crime

Feedback on customer perspective

Better design and management

Competitive edge

Concern not to fuel fear of crime/ draw attention to the problem

Cost of security improvements.

The Industrial Estate Initiative on Teeside has protected the ‘whole’ of an estate through security patrol, landscaping and surveillance systems.

Contact: John Bentley, Safe in Tees Valley 01642 327351

Act as a focus for an integrated approach to crime prevention linking:

• CCTV
• Radio schemes
• Information sharing
• Exclusion notices and
• Civil recovery.

Concern not to fuel fear of crime/ draw attention to the problem

For information on the national programme, including the Safer Shopping Awards, contact the Home Office Retail Crime Reduction Action team advisers:

Regeneration

Business crime reduction measures as part of wider strategies for regeneration/neighbourhood renewal.

Added capacity for change

Reducing crime & fear of crime can enhance business and community vitality and encourage inward investment.

Businesses have a stake in local community.

The West Chester SRB Programme, has sought to involve small businesses in the regeneration process and raise their awareness of community safety issues.

Contact Barbara Coleman on 01244 402549

Local Authority Economic Development/

Information on no. and make-up of businesses operating in the area.

Links with economic development strategy

Advice and grants for local businesses.

Reduction in (long term) unemployment

Bolton Council’s Economic and Physical Development Unit has a team of 4 working on the Bolton Business Security Initiative.

The initiative involves the provision of detailed risk assessments, grant aid, training and research into business crime in Bolton. The team is working with the police to improve information regarding business crime by isolating recorded crimes against business from other recorded crimes.

Youth empowerment programmes / Youth Action Groups involved in tackling crime problems .

Support from others to cater for/engage disaffected young people

Help in meeting literacy/numeracy etc targets

Links with citizenship programmes and with the global curriculum.

Pressure on staff and on the curriculum

Firth Park School’s Youth Action Group in Sheffield developed a Good to Talk Box to relay crime prevention messages effectively. The box includes a Good to Talk game which sparks lively debate and enables players to contemplate and rehearse their reactions before being faced with tough decisions in real life.

The game forms on part of up to ten anti-shop theft lesson plans written into the schools PSE curriculum.

NB Delete 1^st contact

A response to problems of youth nuisance in a local shopping centre included a police education programme with pupils of a nearby secondary school.and further youth activities being made available from the school. These initiatives formed part of a co-ordinated response including CCTV, advice on better lighting, cutting back overgrown hedgerows around access points and paths and training of shop staff.

Help in achieving national target to reduce offending of young people in the ‘looked after’ sector.

Multi-agency support for vulnerable families

Pressure of child protection work consumes resources.

Local Authority

Build security measures into the redevelopment of existing property, and design and construction of new buildings.

Crime prevention guidelines for developers

Design improvements when business parks/industrial estates are developed.

Can require a crime impact analysis in any planning application

Well run neighbourhoods cost less.

Fulfilling the requirements of S17/ Best Value

Sevices may involve several different providers

Partnership initiatives in Eastleigh include work with applicants for planning permission to design out crime in new buildings and implement a series of measures which will discourage crime while preserving an attractive and accessible town centre.

May be seen as outside job descriptions

Street cleaning company ‘Green Machine’ has joined businesses and police in the Dumfries Radio Link scheme. Green Machine operators have a direct link with the police, so improving their own personal safety as well as providing information to the police and businesses.

Local Authority Housing /

Housing Association

Effective neighbourhood management.

Role for area managers & neighbourhood wardens in providing information / identifying and dealing business crime.

Safe estate agreements and community contracts.

Housing in areas with less crime is easier to let, with more rent income.

Viable local shops make an area more attractive for potential tenants.

May lack direct influence over/contact with business tenants.

Glasgow, Hemel Hempstead, Hyndburn and Stockport are among those employing town or city centre wardens.

See http://www.neighbourhood.gov.uk/ for guidance on schemes

Increased use of local services

Local Authority

Regulation of the market, e.g. In stolen goods

Information / inspection / enforcement against rogue traders

Fulfilling the requirements of S17/ Best Value

No powers of arrest

Medway Council is working with the police, the business community and other partner organisations on Radium, an innovative campaign to cut down stolen goods passing through shops. Shops taking part in a Commercial Outlet scheme will only buy second hand goods if the seller meets certain oonditions. The police and Trading Standards make regular visits, including to shops outside the scheme.

The scheme is being assessed by researchers from Kent University. Plans are underway to involve pubs and taxi-drivers also in targeting stolen goods.

Contact: Adrian Gowan, 01634 332886; Sgt Robin Wharfe 01634 827055.

Youth diversion projects

Young people are equal partners

Youth service has had many resource cuts

Concern that crime-focused, targeted youth work may stigmatise young people

The Youth Action Shopping Centre Programme brings young people, the public and business sectors together into local learning partnerships to tackle shop theft and retail crime. The scheme, a partnership between Prudential and Crime Concern, is currently supported by shopping centres from East Kilbride to Maidstone. Case studies are at:

Or contact: Youth Action Plus on 01793 863516

Fire & Rescue Services

Work with businesses to identify arson prevention and fire safety measures.

Raising awareness of the dangers of fire for children, young people and their families.

Reduction in calls arising from business arson

Cheshire Fire Brigade’s Community Fire Safety Centre in Warrington aims to co-ordinate activities, run campaigns and ensure effective use of resources.

The Centre works with businesses to improve fire safety and raise awareness of arson prevention measures.

Work to challenge offending behaviour.

Mobilising other agencies for effective interventions to reduce rates of reconviction.

Work focused on a relatively small number of persistent offenders

Information on crimes and incidents against businesses seen as having a racial motivation.

Problems of under-reporting.

Youth Offending Teams

Support from other agencies for criminality prevention/ early intervention.

Opportunities to enhance young peoples’ skills/employability.

Many teams are still relatively new / may need time to build relationships and develop programmes.

CrimeStoppers

Call: 020 8877 0337

Drug Action Teams

Referral and treatment programmes for offenders with problem drug use

Evaluation of three proactive arrest referral schemes in Southwark, Derby and Brighton found sharp falls in the number of shop lifting and other offences committed by participants on schemes.

Encouragement/ incentives to business owners to improve security

Local Media and business magazines

Awareness raising

Good news stories

Deterrence

Public interest

Awareness raising

Business crime affects the community and its reputation

Impact depends on the time and commitment put in by volunteers

Help in creating a safer community.

Victim Support

One to one support for victims

Chance to offer the victim’s perspective.

Raised profile, including with business

Victim Support Scotland have produced a publication called ‘Coping with a Major Crime at Work’

Contact Victim Support Scotland on 0131 668 4486

Victim Support (England & Wales) 0207 735 9166