Dear Editor, I read with interest the West Midlands Business Council’s article entitled “The business of crime” in the Birmingham Post edition of Monday, August 3.
As the article pointed out, business crime is a wide-ranging category which is difficult to define precisely, as it can include everything from, say, shoplifting to the theft of metal from a derelict factory.
West Midlands Police has treated business crime as a priority for many years. We meet regularly with business leader at forums, and have forged positive relationships in this area.
In addition, many members of the police authority have excellent links to the business community, providing us with a rich understanding of the issues they face.
We understand the very clear link between business success and crime reduction.
It is in the interests of all people who care about the success of the West Midlands area to do all we can to ensure business is encouraged to thrive and succeed.
Our definition of business crime is: “Any crime against a business or on business premises which is likely to have a negative impact upon that business.”
Our stance was put forward to our partners at the West Midlands Business Crime Conference in February this year, during which we outlined a number of our ongoing forcewide policing initiatives to combat this area of criminality.
These include:
The Retail Crime Initiative – allowing information sharing on repeat offenders.
Crime reduction officers – specialist officers offering advice to businesses.
Business Improvement Districts – partnerships between police, local businesses and local authorities to benefit the trading environment and improve security.
Business Watch Schemes and retail radio links – providing direct lines of communication between traders and police.
Business Action Groups – part of Business Watch with an emphasis on reducing the risk of traders becoming crime victims.
There are many others and West Midlands Police continues to liaise with a number of agencies and organisations, including Chambers of Commerce, local authorities, Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships, West Midlands Business Council, the Regional Business Crime Forum and the region’s business crime reduction adviser, to address issues of concern.
West Midlands Police are absolutely committed to delivering a first class service to all of the communities of the West Midlands, including businesses. We trust this commitment to combat all forms of crime will continue to improve trust and confidence in the service provided by the force.
Chris Sims OBE
Chief Constable West Midlands Police
