| The Business Crime Reduction Unit |
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Business crime reduction is an important element of Town Centre Management activity.
Just like the Town Centre Partnership itself, The Business Crime Reduction Unit is an independent, not-for-profit organisation working with national organizations, other business crime reduction partnerships in the region, police, local authorities and other agencies to help businesses reduce the impact and cost of crime against them, their staff and the communities they trade in.
The unit directly manages the Business Crime Reduction Partnership (Shopwatch) working with retailers, the Police and other business sectors to reduce acquisitive crime affecting business in our town.
It also administers Barwatch on behalf of the Safer Hastings Partnership and Sussex Police – working with evening economy businesses such as pubs and clubs to reduce night-time crime, violence and anti-social behaviour.
Both schemes work the same way by empowering businesses to make banning orders. The members of each scheme decide if people who steal from shops or cause problems in the evening economy should be banned from entering the members’ premises.
These exclusion schemes form a powerful tool in the fight against crime. Whilst businesses can individually ban anyone from their premises, the deterrent to offenders becomes much greater when that ban is extended to include all of the business premises in the membership.
Images of offenders are also supplied to members of each scheme which are supported by radio networks with links to CCTV and on-duty Police officers. This enables banned individuals to be tracked and any further crimes deterred at the entry points of shops and evening businesses. The Business Crime Reduction coordinator also plays a vital role in linking with other crime reduction initiatives in the town
Download Barwatch membership application form here
For more information contact the Business Crime Reduction
Coordinator on 01424 205518.