JOIN OUR SHOP RADIO LINK SCHEME AT THE CHRISTCHURCH BUSINESS CRIME REDUCTION NETWORK – 18th JULY 2024, 5.45PM

On Thursday the 23rd May we  held our first  Business Crime Reduction Meeting attended by local enforcement agencies. Sadly, several of you who were interested in joining the meeting weren’t able to make the date in the end, but Katy and Louise, along with Anita Penny from Ye Olde Eight Bells Shop in Church Street, met with Jen Maidment, CSAS Officer, PCSO Liane Haddock, PC Faris Siwadi and PC Oliver Hudson to discuss feedback from our levy payers about business crime that is affecting the town on a daily basis.

The meeting was very informative and a great starting point as we build even closer relationships with the enforcement agencies to help support our levy payers in fighting business crime in Christchurch.

Key Meeting Updates:
– Dorset Police have just launched Operation Shopkeeper, a specialist team who support retail businesses with the crime they experience. We are currently finding out more about this and will share more details when we have them
– Louise will be visiting the Town Camera Headquarters in Bournemouth to gain an understanding of how the “eye in the Sky” works for Christchurch

– We will be connecting with Dorset Police’s PR department to make sure news stories about successful convictions are being shared to act as a deterrent

– The previously run ShopWatch radio scheme was successful in deterring crime as perpetrators knew that shopkeepers were in touch with each other

– It was recommended that a Shop Radio Link Scheme be re-introduced to the town to connect businesses again and help deter criminals coming to the area

As part of our drive to help reduce business crime, and having listened to your feedback, we have secured the opportunity for our levy payers to sign up to a trial of a new shop radio link scheme.

This will be completely FREE to any retail or hospitality business that signs up for the three month trial. The trial will allow us to evaluate the impact of having radios in shops around the town and stores that have them can experience the benefit directly during the trial.

If you are interested in finding out more about the trial scheme please sign up to join us at our next Business Crime Reduction Meeting to be held on the 18th July from 5.45pm (location TBC depending on sign up numbers).

Our radio supplier, JPS Communications, will be at the meeting to provide a demonstration of the radios themselves and sign people up to the scheme. They will provide full training to everyone who signs up.

SIGN UP TO JOIN THE MEETING HERE

For your diaries – future meetings are planned for the 19th September and 21st November.

Tackling crime effectively requires a whole community approach so please join us if you are able to – we cannot make an impact as individuals but collectively we can make a difference.