| Mid Sussex Business Crime Partnership |
| This is a programme of support for identifying shoplifters and those involved in other business thievery, graffitti and anti-social behaviour. Supported and funded by the Sussex Crime Commissioner for three years in Mid Sussex and now approaching its first year. It covers the whole of Mid Sussex and its three towns and outlying villages. In the online photo galleries available to users some miscreants will appear in more than one town. Each town has its own statistics on identified or unidentified suspects, caught on CCTV or mobile footage. The ‘unidentified’ will often later become the ‘identified’. There is also now an instant messaging service, to share images about incidents, all within the DISC app, making it even more effective. Unlike other platforms such as Whatapp, this is a very secure, GDPR compliant system, fully supported and used by members who report incidents and crimes into the portal. Underage culprits are also effectively and properly managed by the police monitors, while remaining, for obvious reasons, hidden from general user-members. It also incorporates PubWatch and is helping to reduce night-time-economy incidents in the town. Burgess Hill is the most active of the three towns in the scheme. BHBPA has been a member of the committee of the Mid Sussex Business Crime Partnership (MSBCP) from its inception and is now, through CEO Richard Cox, a member of the recently constituted Board for the Mid Sussex Business Crime Partnership. This Board includes representatives from the other towns, MSDC and Sussex Police. Town Centre Coverage If you are not already signed up as a business owner or outlet manager in the town, particularly the town centre, operating as a retail outlet or other business, then you should be part of the reporting platform. It’s easy to pick up and gain access then to a weekly newsletter detailing the latest suspects caught red handed on camera. Training is also provided. If you run a licensed premises you are probably already on board through the affiliated (but separate) PubWatch scheme which is incorporated into the MSBCP. Business Parks Coverage If as a business on our business parks you are affected by criminal behaviour, such as stealing metal or cabling scrap, or pellet guns and catapults being used to break windows, then let me know. We had reports of windows broken with pellets in Victoria Way during the recent Easter school holidays. We’ve had other reports earlier in the year of BB gun pellets falling from the air across the Sheddingdean Business Park. Valuable scrap has been stolen from large sites on the Victoria Business Park. Never hesitate to report. Richard Cox acts as the DISC ‘member’ for these areas where the level of crime is more sporadic. Sometimes these thefts, particularly scrap materials, can be considerable. I’ll need any photo or video materials you have, the location and brief description of what happened and the time the crime took place if you have that information. I then post a report to the DISC portal. Contact Richard Cox for more information on the DISC system Email: richard.cox@bhbpa.co.uk Direct Dial: 07393 728688 |
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