The West Midlands continues to be a significant hotspot for business crime, says the National Business Crime Solution (NBCS) in its ‘End of Year Report’ for 2015.
About the NBCS
It’s a ‘Not for Profit’ initiative to tackle cross border, serious and organised crime affecting business. As a central repository, business crime data is submitted, shared and analysed for members. Some 40 national business are signed up to the NBCS; it points to the arrest of 127 offenders, a team sentenced to 30 years for conspiracy to rob and the end of a spate of offences costing one member business over £60,000.
In the West Midlands the NBCS last year recorded a range of offences from bulk thefts and trolley push outs to robberies. It also saw a peak in offences against fashion members in the Greater Manchester and Merseyside police areas.
The NBCS reports a notable increase in offences by foreign nationals and it’s now using an NBCS ‘flag’ to monitor the rise in these offences. Early analysis indicates that about a quarter of all investigations involve foreign nationals.
Also seen; an increase in offences where the NBCS wholesale members were targeted around the South East. Cigarettes continued to present an issue for many members from thefts from delivery vehicles to burglaries where access is gained to the gantries. Also seen; a significant increase in the theft of Lego. Bulk fashion thefts remain significant and work is ongoing to identify prolific teams involved. The NBCS has seen a spike in the sleight of hand thefts where offenders seek to confuse staff when exchanging large sums of cash.
In a telephone scam a number of cafe, dining and hospitality members have been targeted. A number of linked offences have been established across the South East. Burglaries continued to present a challenge; the majority of these related to the self-scan series affecting supermarket members.
Case study
Between January and October 2015, the NBCS collated 47 similar linked offences whereby offenders had been stealing money from unattended till areas during store opening hours. The offences went across 27 police force areas and affected four NBCS member businesses. Further analysis by the NBCS established the identity of those involved, highlighting links to previous offences. Engagement between the NBCS and the police forces led to an officer from Humberside taking the lead in the overall investigation. The NBCS supported by collating all offence details and providing Humberside with the evidence needed for a review by the Crown Prosecution Service. As a result of this work, five offenders from the Essex area were circulated as wanted for conspiracy. One of the five was arrested on unrelated matters. There have been no further offences reported to the NBCS since.
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