PSNI highlight business crime action plan ahead of Autumn Statement

PSNI highlight business crime action plan ahead of Autumn Statement

The PSNI has highlighted its action plan to help businesses thwart crime, as the Chancellor faces calls to help firms stay safe.

The action plan was launched by the Department of Justice and PSNI in June 2016, outlining steps to help tackle business crime and its costs.

It identifies businesses as being at the heart of communities, providing employment and critical local services.

“Crimes against business not only impact the Northern Ireland economy, they also damage the prosperity and perceptions of local areas and therefore communities, and they adversely affect our ability to grow a dynamic, innovative economy, which encourages growth, attracts investment and which is a competitive place to do business,” the plan states.

The action plan seeks to build on existing work, and emerged from on-going dialogue between the PSNI and business community, as well as recommendations from the Justice Committee report.

The plan’s three key objectives are to improve accessibility of crime prevention advice, enhance information sharing between business and the police, and to ensure justice is delivered efficiently and effectively.

Among it’s own responsibilities, such as increasing police visibility and engagement in hot-spot areas, the PSNI also outline roles local businesses can play to reduce crime.

These include: An increased use of civil exclusion orders such as through Retail Crime Watch, considering using civil recovery processes and restorative practices, and ‘designing out crime’ – using innovative shop designs to make it more difficult for criminals to operate.

“No single agency can tackle the issues of business crime alone. What is clear from our conversations across Northern Ireland and across business sectors is that a partnership approach is needed between operational agencies, government bodies at both a strategic and local level, as well as the business community,” the plan said.

“Business crime is a challenge for everyone, business crime impacts on everyone, and with the clear partnership working encompassed in this document, everyone has a part to play in tackling business crime.”

You can see the PSNI’s comprehensive Business Crime Action Plan in full on the PSNI website.