Essex Police’s business crime team has announced it is now using an app to tackle retail crime.
The new Alert app will make it easier for 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,” it said.
Alert is already available to retailers with 19 schemes up and running across Essex. Now, it has been authorised for use on Essex Police devices as well.
PC Alex Plakhtienko, from the Essex Police business crime team, explained: “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.
“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.”
The app has been given to Basildon neighbourhood policing officers first, with other district teams coming online in the coming weeks.
”Businesses can see what’s affecting their neighbours, so we all have the best picture of what’s going on…”
Basildon district commander chief inspector, Paul Hogben, said. “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, 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 about things such as counterfeit currency circulating in particular areas.
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