Neighbourhood policing officers on alert for shoplifters

Our Business Crime Team is always exploring smarter ways to work with businesses to tackle retail crime.

And a new app will make it easier for our business crime officers and neighbourhood policing teams to link in with retailers and other businesses to identify suspects, share information quickly, identifying emerging theft trends and prevent losses.

The Alert app is already available to retailers with 19 schemes up and running across Essex. And now it’s been authorised for use on Essex Police devices.

PC Alex Plakhtienko, of the Essex Police Business Crime Team, explains:

“The installation of Alert on Essex Police devices gives our officers and businesses a direct link with each other. 
“The advantages are enormous. Alert makes sharing information easier and quicker. 
“We can use it identify suspects and prompt businesses to report incidents to police, encouraging them to provide us with good quality CCTV footage, witness statements and other evidence which increases the likelihood of conviction at court.
“And the app nurtures good relationships between businesses, who can talk to each other and take preventative measures, while it lets us give them expert advice.
“So, everyone is working together to keep businesses safe and to create a stronger business community.”

The Alert app has been given to Basildon neighbourhood policing officers first, with other district teams coming online in the coming weeks.

Basildon District Commander Chief Inspector Paul Hogben says Alert is another way for businesses to share information with police and will help officers to identify and tackle emerging issues.

“It’s a great opportunity for us to share real-time intelligence with businesses across the town centre, and businesses can see what’s affecting their neighbours, so we all have the best picture of what is going on.”

Retailers in each individual Alert scheme create an incident report on the app, which notifies scheme members.

Police can use the secure ‘in app chat’ to comment on the report, to request information, identify suspects and direct retailers to report crimes promptly to police.

The app also enables our officers to provide businesses with specialised and bespoke crime prevention advice, information from the National Business Crime Centre (NBCC) and warnings, eg counterfeit currency being circulated in a particular area.

Elliot Blenkhorn, managing director of ShopSafe, says:

"The rollout of ShopSafe Alert across Essex Police devices marks an important step forward in our partnership and reflects the strength of our collaborative approach.
“Retail crime is a complex challenge that demands coordinated action, supported by reliable data and clear intelligence.
“By introducing Alert, officers now have access to information that helps guide their decisions and enables a more targeted focus on repeat offenders.
“We look forward to continuing our work with Essex Police, as well as other forces nationally, to further develop this technology and support safer, more resilient and more prosperous communities."

There are 19 Alert schemes currently running across Essex: Billericay; Brentwood; Canvey Island; Chelmsford; Debden Broadway; Edinburgh Way, Harlow; Grays, Lakeside Shopping Centre; Leigh on Sea; Maldon; Pitsea; Rayleigh; Southend; the Tendring district; and Wickford; with Pubwatch schemes in Basildon, Billericay, Leigh on Sea and Southend.

The Essex Police roll-out supports the National Business Crime Centre's Tackling Retail Crime Together Strategy.

We're offering more ways for our communities to stay up to date with our work across Essex.

Our e-newsletter, Dispatch, delivers news, information, and advice from Essex Police.

Dispatch is a ‘one stop shop’ for local police news – direct from the source. 

Sign up is completely free and you can unsubscribe at any time.