Dorset Police and businesses work together to tackle crime
Officers from Dorset Police are supporting a national week of action to strengthen relationships between retail, security and police in an effort to tackle business crime.
Today, Monday 16 October 2023, is the start of a week of action, co-ordinated by the National Business Crime Centre (NBCC) that aims to equip business owners and security staff with the tools to tackle business crime and raise awareness of the support available to help protect them and their business.
During the week of action, local policing teams across Dorset will carry out various crime prevention activities and initiatives to increase engagement with local businesses and retail outlets, to improve relationships and offer signposting advice to help prevent crimes from occurring in the first place.
Businesses can be affected by a wide variety of crimes from theft, burglary and cyber crime to abusive or violent behaviour directed at staff. A Safer Business Action Day is all about partnership working, with the police, business, private security, Business Crime Reduction Partnerships and Business Improvement Districts, working together to reduce crime.
With the rising cost of living, businesses are potentially more vulnerable to crime. Businesses need to be able to deter people before they commit crime, which means knowing how they are vulnerable to criminals and making it difficult for individuals and organised crime groups to commit a crime against them.
Superintendent Gavin House, from Dorset Police, said: “This national week of action provides a great opportunity for us to further strengthen our relationships between our business community and security staff by sharing information and tailoring policing solutions to tackle crime.
“This proactive and collaborative approach allows us to deploy resources into designated locations, and in addition to joint patrolling and the targeting of offenders, we will raise awareness within our communities of the crimes that impact business.
“We understand the significant impact crime can have on our businesses and this week of action is a way for us to show local businesses and our communities that we will continue to do all we can to help protect them and keep our communities safe.”
Dorset Police and Crime Commissioner, David Sidwick said: “I want to take this opportunity to reaffirm my commitment to working with local businesses and Dorset Police, to tackle the issue of business crime. Business crime is not a low priority or a victimless crime by any means, businesses can be affected by crime in many different ways, and it is only by working together that we can create a safer environment for businesses across Dorset.”
"The Safer Dorset Business Partnership, which is facilitated through my office, focuses on four key areas - crime prevention, crime reporting, engagement and visibility, cyber-crime and fraud and we are starting to see some of the benefits of closer collaborative working. I know that key successes will be made by working together, pooling resources and sharing intelligence and that’s exactly what’s happening in this partnership.”
Dorset Police can carry out crime prevention surveys on commercial properties. For more information please contact: crimereductionwest@dorset.pnn.police.uk. For further help and advice on business safety please visit https://www.dorset.police.uk/business or contact your local Neighbourhood Policing Team via the Force website.
Image gallery:
select image to download
