Bournemouth, Business, Crime | Posted on October 16th, 2024 | return to news
Partnership reducing shoplifting in Bournemouth
With the participation of 130 businesses, reporting on shoplifting in the town centre is up 86 per cent over three months.
An initiative to tackle shoplifting in Bournemouth town centre is proving to be a success.
More than 130 businesses have signed up to the new Against Business Crime Partnership with reporting up 86 per cent over three months.
The partnership, driven by three local Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) including the Bournemouth Town Centre BID, and comprising local businesses, police and the council, launched in June in response to rising levels of retail theft, abuse and anti-social behaviour. It provides a platform for information sharing and incident recording, helping empower targeted enforcement action.
Sign up has been strong since the scheme launched in March; 133 businesses in the Town Centre BID area have joined, with more than 350 end users now able to use cloud-based crime reporting platform, supported by the Town Centre BID’s business crime liaison officer Jackie Arnold.
As a result, reporting is up significantly, rising from 73 incidents reported in June, to 93 in July to 136 in August – reflecting more comprehensive reporting rather than a marked increase in incidents, said Bournemouth Town Centre BID chief operating officer, Paul Kinvig.
He said: “Our members have told us that this system is very easy to use and as a result fewer incidents are going un-logged. That clearer, better data can indicate hotspots, high risk times and flag prolific offenders, providing an incisive weapon in the battle against retail crime.
“This tool is already giving police and local authorities the information they need to target action and progress with enforcement – including dispersals, exclusions, targeted patrols, arrests and ultimately more criminal convictions.
“For example, as part of Dorset Police’s ‘100 days of summer’ initiative, which saw enhanced anti-social behaviour patrols, there were 704 hours of extra patrols on foot in Bournemouth Town Centre. This activity resulted in 16 arrests, 18 stop searches and 11 Section 35 dispersals.”
The Against Business Crime Partnership is part of a wider collaborative approach involving Bournemouth Town Centre BID, Poole BID, Bournemouth Coastal BID, UKPAC, BCP Council, Dorset Police & Dorset PCC and also includes the Town Team, which brings together Dorset Police, Bournemouth Town Centre BID and BCP Council in a bid to improve communication and remove obstacles to effective enforcement within the town centre.
The Town Team was awarded the Community Engagement Partnership and Collaboration Award at the recent Dorset Police Awards. The award was in recognition of their work, including improved incident and crime reporting, identifying hot spot locations and helping reduce anti-social behaviour and associated crime, as well as better engagement with local communities and businesses, leading to an increase in high visibility patrols.
Martin Davies, chairman of Bournemouth Town Centre BID, said: “Our collaborative approach is powerful – with better communication and reporting, we can help those statutory authorities in their challenge to improve safety and security for our retailers, their staff, and the wider community.
“I would urge every town centre business to join this partnership: the more members, the better the data, and the more effective we can be in helping the police, council and other stakeholders tackle crime and anti-social behaviour.”
Businesses within the Bournemouth Town Centre BID interested in joining the Against Business Crime Partnership and SentrySIS cloud based incident reporting system should contact Jackie Arnold on email at jackie.arnold@swlsecurity.com
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