Reducing Crime

Website funded and run by the Victoria Business Improvement District

Business Policing in Victoria

Reducing Crime

While rough sleeper associated antisocial behaviour, bag theft and pick pocketing (Volume Crime is the term given by the Police), feature highly amongst reported crime in Victoria, statistically reported crime rates in Victoria have followed a downward trend, making Victoria one of the safest areas of Westminster. The reduction coincides with a period of increased funding being made available by Victoria BID supporting more targeted localised policing and encouraging greater cooperation between police forces that had hitherto operated under separate jurisdiction.

Radio Link

Expansion of a successful radio scheme has grown to over 164 community radio users. The Victoria BID fund radio handsets that keep business staff, security officers and Police teams across a defined area informed and connected. Allowing those signed up to the scheme to share security information via a 24-hour control room.

Grapevine

Free private web-link utilising Community Safe to supply community focused security information, suspects’ pictures and crime data to help business staff prevent and detect crime that affects them. Victoria BID is the first in the country to benefit from Facewatch – following its successful pilot in Victoria the new crime reporting system is being installed at key retailers and leisure outlets in Victoria. It is based on a network of businesses using one simple, online system to report incidents and share information and CCTV images between businesses. Facewatch cuts the amount of administrative time that it takes to report an incident and assembles the required evidence, making it easier to process a conviction, saving valuable police time and streamlining the process of dealing with low- level crime like bag theft and shoplifting.

FOR MORE ABOUT FACEWATCH

Pub and Hotel Watch

Regular quarterly meetings between alcohol license holders to control access to alcohol, thereby reducing crime and anti-social behaviour in and around licensed premises.

Café Watch

Regular meetings between restaurant and café owners established to improve information sharing and reduce opportunist crime like mobile phone and bag theft.

Crime Prevention Workshops

Policing Teams offer bespoke business crime prevention and safety workshops within workplaces to combat seasonal crime trends. Victoria BID has supported the workshops by supplying crime prevention devices.

Police Operations

These operations bring together all enforcement agencies to target crime and manage its displacement. These initiatives are usually high profile and leave no room to hide in Victoria.

Surgeries

The policing teams offer walk-in surgeries across Victoria. Specific details of these events can be found on the following websites:

FOR MORE ABOUT METROPOLITAN POLICE

FOR MORE ABOUT BRITISH TRANSPORT POLICE