Recent Burglaries
Update from Loughborough BID
Loughborough BID is working in partnership with the local Police to provide support to businesses following the recent spate of Burglaries across the town.
Police have been working hard and have had 3 successful arrests following the investigations resulting in sentencing.
Local officers have increased patrols to provide visibility and reassurance to businesses.
BID and the police will be walking around the town to talk to businesses on Wednesday 17th pm.
If you would like a visit from Lisa and the local Police sergeant, please inform in advance by contacting Lisa at lisa@loveloughborough.co.uk
DISC – Crime intelligence platform for businesses
Loughborough BID have invested in a secure online app for businesses to share information about offenders.
Profiles of offenders are being developed and the aim of this resource is for prevention of crime.
Disc empowers communities to share information about incidents and offenders, as well as current awareness about safety and security matters, so they can better protect themselves and their property, staff and customers.
Using the Disc smartphone App or their Disc Desktop, users can:
- Access galleries of known offenders
- Submit incident reports about them, and about new offenders
- Send and receive instant messages and emailed alerts to other users about anything urgent/important
- Read alerts, important news and information about up-coming events
- Access reference or guidance documents
- Receive an automated eNewsletter every week, summarising everything added to their Disc system in the previous seven days.
If you would like to know more about this, please get in touch.
Advice on keeping your business secure
What can you do on a daily basis as a business to prevent being targeted by burglars…
- Removing high value goods from window displays
You can protect portable high value goods such as jewellery or camcorders by removing them from display windows overnight, and locking them in a safe, or a secure room or cage. But be aware of the drawbacks – the extra workload on you and your staff, and the likelihood that empty windows will attract less window shopping and therefore less ‘informal’ policing. (Having more people around increases the chance of there being witnesses who can call the police.) - Hiding stock
Burglars will be less likely to break into your stock room if you hide what is in it boarding or whitewashing over the windows. - Leave the till open
By leaving the till visible, open and clearly empty, any burglars seeking cash are likely to lose interest. - Reducing stock
The less you have in stock to attract the thief, the less can be taken. By coordinating with suppliers you can introduce ‘just in time’ deliveries, use catalogue deliveries or home deliveries to reduce stock levels. But while such methods may minimise stock taken in a burglary, they are unlikely to deter a burglar unless he or she knows stock levels are low. - Bank your cash
If you do not leave cash in the store overnight it cannot be stolen in a burglary. Night safe facilities are available after opening hours. If you do not use a specialist cash collection agency be sure you vary the route you take to the bank and the times you leave the shop. - Dummy goods
In some cases, using dummy goods, (such as coloured water in wine bottles in off-licence displays, or empty CDs and cassette tapes) will deter some opportunistic burglars who only seek display goods, but you have to make it clear that the goods are fake. This approach will not deter burglars seeking high value stock from inside the shop.
There is some more useful information about different methods to prevent your business being targeted on the Police.UK website – here: https://www.police.uk/cp/crime-prevention/keeping-business-safe-from-crime/keep-burglars-out-business/
If you see any suspicious activity please call 101 and if in an emergency please call 999. The local police are there to support you and Loughborough BID have a successful partnership with them, so if you are concerned and need additional support please contact Lisa.
Police Campaign – “You’re right, that’s wrong”
Below is an insert from the campaign website to explain more about the initiative – https://thatswrong.co.uk/
“It’s time for us to start talking about how we treat women, how our mates treat women and to start having conversations about what we can do to make our communities safer places for women.
Sending Harassing Messages
When you think of ‘violence’ towards women, serious physical violence might be the first thing you think of – but all violence starts somewhere.
Negative behaviours and attitudes from men that women have commonly experienced cause real harm. These include:
- Catcalling (wolf whistling, shouting, unwanted sexual language towards a woman)
- Persistent unwanted attention
- Not leaving a woman alone when she’s said no
- Staring intently
- Sexist, derogatory jokes
- Insulting women
- Unwanted physical touching
Left unchallenged, this behaviour can escalate: the situation itself escalates, or a mate’s behaviour can become worse over time.
One of the most powerful ways to change someone’s behaviour is through their own friendship groups.
By starting a conversation with a mate when you see them act out of line, you can make a real difference. You don’t always have to directly challenge a mate if it’s not the right time, you can also get help from others or distract them to stop the situation before it starts.
You’re Right, That’s Wrong gives you the tools and confidence to have the conversation with a mate.”
Leicestershire Police are encouraging partners to be involved in this campaign and there is material available for businesses to use if they wish to do so.
More information can be found on the website. Attached is a visual aid for partners to make use of.
