Featured in our February print issue, some award-winning police and private sector work on reducing crime.
One of the five winners of the annual Crime Concern community safety awards, sponsored by Marks & Spencer, was Lancashire Police for work on the Poulton Industrial Estate near Blackpool. The judges were won over by a 90 per cent reduction in vehicle crime and 75pc in other crimes. The then local Insp Phil Anderton, who now works in community safety for the force, told Professional Security how the crime-reducing project had to be sustainable – because what was not sustainable was ‘high police activity’. Working with non-security tenants on the estate, and landlords, he had to overcome apathy – the ‘not my problem’ attitude to security. Drawing in other groups included the council (to remove debris, and for better street lighting) and the water authority (pipes crossing property boundaries allowed thieves to enter car parks). The estate had grown to 150-plus units, and had public roads that could not be fenced off. The estate now has CCTV covering entrances. Insp Anderton said: ‘It was about putting something in that was sustainable, and we [the police] don’t have to go in any more.’The estate raises money for security-related projects. A fall in crime means cheaper insurance. Insp Anderton concludes: ‘It just proves that things can be achieved, just by a bit of hard work.’
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Charity Northumbria Coalition Against Crime’s Retail Victims Initiative (RVI) – an effort to get to the root of young people’s involvement in shop theft – is on the short-list for the M & S annual community safety awards. The project has completed a one year pilot and indications so far have been so positive that another year’s funding has been secured. Young people involved in shop theft, usually aged 10 to 15 can be referred to the scheme by police Youth Offending Teams throughout the region. Retail managers and shop floor staff, trained to act as proxy victims, meet the youths. Danny Gilchrist, who pioneered RVI said: ‘The session normally lasts up to one hour. We encourage the young offender to talk about why the offence happened, their feelings towards what they have done and the impact on their family and others associated with them. Our feedback so far has shown that shoplifting is viewed as a crime where no-one suffers. However by the young person meeting the retailer they are faced with the reality of the effects of the their crime on retail staff.’
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In Milton Keynes, meanwhile, also on the short-list, a Thames Valley retail theft initiative is being rolled out to other forces. Project manager is WPC Joanna Mears, who told Professional Security how the scheme takes on first-time non-violent shop thieves, aiming to nip the offending in the bud. Instead of a police officer taking up to five and a half hours to process one shoplifter, it takes 20 to 30 minutes, meaning gains for retail security staff in police availability for other incidents, and less waiting for store detectives too. When arrested, the shoplifter is returned to his parents or school or home. A fortnight later the thief must return to the police station, to be interviewed to find out reasons for the crime. That will lead to, in the criminal justice system jargon, one or more ‘interventions’ – a retail victim may explain to the offender how shoplifting is not a victim-less crime (and if that does not have an impact, maybe the explanation of CCTV and other anti-theft measures will!). Or the offender will go through a course on bullying and peer pressure (a main cause of juvenile shoplifting); or see a prison officer, to hear of the reality of behind bars; or a youth worker or careers officer or drugs worker. As WPC Mears put it: ‘YOu can pick people [shoplifters] up and they have loads of problems, and you know if you don’t deal with them, they will be back nexy week.’Evaluations suggest the scheme works, she adds.
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In Wallsend, the Wallsend Forum Retail Crime Initiative is supported by Northumbria Police and John Fleet, Wallsend Town Centre Manager. This RCI is added to the current Shopwatch scheme, which has seen more than 50 businesses given portable two-way radios, to share information with each other and report shoplifters to police at Wallsend area command. The radios are also linked to North Tyneside Council’s CCTV system. A list of the most prolific offenders will be circulated to shops in the Forum Shopping Centre. The files, containing pictures of the offenders and brief details of their offences, will be kept under lock and key with a designated member of staff. This complies with all the relevant Human Rights legislation and the Data Protection Act. People caught shoplifting in the centre will be banned for between three months and three years from entering all stores within the Forum. Their details will be added to the files kept by shopkeepers. PC Simon O’Neil, Community Beat Manager for Wallsend town centre, said: " Like any shopping area there is always a tiny minority who set out to cause problems by either shoplifting or their anti-social behaviour. The message from traders is clear – they are not prepared to tolerate criminals. Ultimately we would like every shop in Wallsend to be involved.’Meanwhile in Blyth police and the Town Centre Management have set up an exclusion scheme aimed at anti-social behaviour or shoplifting. Warning notices will go up in member shops. Insp Colin Green said: "This scheme is aimed at reassuring shoppers we will not tolerate the small minority who go into shops and make a nuisance of themselves, either by being disorderly or stealing.’Town centre manager Malcolm Hutchinson said: ‘This latest initiative adds to the successful CCTV and Shopwatch radio schemes already running in the town centre.’
