The new Retail Crime Action Plan outlines how police should be dealing with crimes in stores but also offers clear guidance on what retailers need to do when reporting a crime.
Call 999 if:
• There is a risk to life, or someone is in immediate danger of harm.
• A serious offence is in progress.
• Use, or immediate threat of use, of violence
• Property is in immediate danger of being seriously damaged.
• The crime is, or likely to be, serious and in progress.
• An offender has been detained and poses, or is likely to pose, a risk to other people
Report Online:
For non-emergency & non-priority reports - Visit www.police.uk to report crime to the local police force
Call 101:
For all incidents that do not require an emergency response
What crimes should I be reporting?
To allow the police to conduct an effective investigation, retailers should prioritise the following instances.
• Where there are incidents involving violence or threats of immediate violence.
• Hate related crimes.
• Offences committed by prolific/persistent or juvenile offenders.
• Offences where there is evidence of organised crime.
• Offences committed with a significant value or commodity type (e.g., corrosive liquid etc) or where there are reasonable lines of enquiry to pursue.
What else can I provide to help the police?
CCTV Evidence:
CCTV images provide ideal opportunities to progress investigations. Retailers are required to share the following:
• CCTV images that capture the whole incident and should be shared electronically via a Digital Evidence Management System (DEMS)
• Or the CCTV should be shared, on an agreed timescale, via a CD/USB etc if an online transfer is not possible.
• Provide a digital image of the suspect.
Sharing digital evidence via DEMS provides the quickest, most effective and secure way to share CCTV and images. Expedited delivery of CCTV footage/images will benefit the investigation and will support longer term prevention strategies.
Statements
The police will also need the below statements as a minimum requirement, which can, potentially, be combined into a single statement.
It is critical that the person reporting and/or the key witness is available to make a formal written statement to officers at the time of attendance.
The person making such a statement should do so with the full authority of their company.
• A witness statement is required from the staff member reporting and from the staff member who witnessed the offence, including stock loss details and other offences.
• A statement to produce the CCTV as evidence to be made by the relevant staff member.
• Also consider completing an Impact Statement for Business (ISB) which is a written statement and is intended to provide businesses that have been victims of crime with a voice in the criminal justice process.
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