Save time reporting crime
An innovative app designed for Crime Reduction Partnerships across Sussex will make it easier for businesses to report crime and anti-social behaviour.
When reporting an incident on DISC to the BCRP the site will now prompt members if they also want to report directly to police.
From 1st March 2018, members of Brighton & Hove’s Business Crime Reduction Partnership (BCRP) will be able to report incidents to the BCRP and Sussex Police simultaneously making the process more efficient and saving a considerable amount of time for the business.
Feedback from the business community indicates that one of the main issues for BCRP members is the amount of time it takes to report a crime on 101, the police non-emergency number. The length of time it can take to manage an incident from start to finish has a massive impact on all parties involved and is not always the most productive use of valuable time.
In recent years, with the marked reduction in police resources, businesses have become more reluctant to report crime as the response rate is slow and reporting incidents has become in the words of one retailer, “more trouble than it is worth”. A fact borne out by BCRP figures which show that of the 3531 incidents reported to the BCRP in the last twelve months only 28% were also reported to the police.
As police direct resources and prioritise targets based on crime statistics for an area, it is more important than ever that businesses report crimes to ensure the police see a true reflection of crime and disorder in Brighton & Hove.
To help address this issue the DISC App, which all BCRP members can access, now includes electronic crime reporting as an additional feature. This will allow members using Android or iPhones to submit an incident report to the BCRP and Sussex Police 101 simultaneously by ticking a box and specifying whether police attendance or investigation is required.
In a time of increasing demands and reducing resources in the police service, this trailblazing electronic crime reporting will help businesses to address crime and disorder more efficiently and Sussex Police to uncover hidden demand which, working with the BCRP and other partners, they can then work to reduce.
If you would like more information or guidance on the electronic crime reporting feature please contact the office on 01273 733 393.