People that work on industrial or commercial estates in Horsham, Sussex are being encouraged to sign up to a new scheme that aims to help reduce the number of crimes affecting the business community.
If you join the free Business Watch scheme, you will be given a members pack and will be sent regular emails about incidents that have taken place locally. Horsham District Community Safety Partnership, the Horsham, Crawley and Mid-Sussex Branch of the Federation of Small Businesses and the Horsham Chamber of Commerce and Industry endorse the scheme and encourage their members to sign up.
On behalf of Sussex Police and its partners, Assistant Chief Constable Robin Merrett launched the Business Watch scheme at Trafalgar Cleaning Equipment Ltd in Foundry Close in July. PCs and PCSOs attended businesses in the Blatchford Road and Foundry Lane area so people could sign up to the scheme.
Business Watch in Horsham has been started to increase the flow of communication between business communities and Sussex Police, to prevent and detect crime, increase intelligence and reassure the community.
The aims of the Watch are:
To reduce opportunities for crime to occur in industrial and vulnerable business locations
To reassure and strengthen the business community
To improve communication between the business community and Sussex Police
To encourage businesses to report suspicious incidents as they occur
To give practical crime prevention advice to help ensure property and goods are as secure as possible.
Assistant Chief Constable Robin Merrett was at the launch and said: "Business Watch is an example of an innovative approach that has been taken to address the needs of a specific group. I am very impressed by the way that this has developed and am confident that it will bring real improvements to our working relationships within the business community."
Neil Worth, Community Safety Officer for Horsham District Council which is one of the members of the Horsham District Community Safety Partnership said: "Business Watch hits one of our key priorities for the year – to reduce acquisitive crime. The scheme will encourage businesses to report crime so we can work together to protect the community and target our resources into the right places."
Ann Swain, the Chair of the local Federation of Small Businesses said: "I am delighted that the local force is taking such positive action to reduce crime and its impact on a small business."
John Lytton, the Chairman of Horsham Chamber of Commerce and Industry said: "We are pleased to support the introduction of Business Watch in Horsham District. We welcome this demonstration that the police recognise the impact that crime can have on a business, especially a small or medium enterprise, in these challenging economic times."
If you would like to sign up to the scheme download the form at www.sussex.police.uk/advice-and-support/business-watch
