SABAC - ST ALBANS BUSINESS AGAINST CRIME

Sep 2006

A new initiative called SABAC - St Albans Business Against Crime was launched at a reception in the District Council offices recently attended by over 70 people including representatives from local businesses.

This Community Safety Partnership initiative, backed by Herts Police, St Albans City & District Council and the Chamber of Commerce, aims to reduce business and retail crime in the city centre by linking members with the CCTV control room and the Police.

Members will also be provided with photos of some of the District's most prolific offenders and Police will be able to issue Exclusion Notices to ban known offenders from entering shops and other premises.

Shops will be provided with hand held radios and be able to summon assistance should known offenders or persons behaving anti-socially enter their premises. The initiative also aims to reduce the number of verbal and physical assaults on staff.

Chief Superintendent Alison Roome-Gifford who attended the launch said "I am confident that businesses and retailers will soon see the advantages of being members of the scheme. There is strength in numbers and with businesses working together with each other and with the Police, criminals will soon get the message that they are not tolerated in St Albans."

To celebrate the launch, Alison Steer, Mayor of St Albans, received the Safer Business Award on behalf of SABAC from Mike Schuck, Chief Executive of Action Against Business Crime.

SABAC was established in early June by Hertfordshire Constabulary, St Albans City & District Council and the Chamber of Commerce. It is one of a number of St Albans Community Safety Partnership initiatives aimed at reducing all crime across St Albans.

Currently it is estimated that an astonishing 70% or so of all business crime goes unreported nationally. SABAC will encourage businesses to report all crime-related incidents, regardless of police intervention or involvement, with a view to gathering information that will give a true picture of what is happening in St Albans, so that it can take action appropriately.

Retailers and businesses are being invited to participate in this initiative which aims to reduce crimes such as shoplifting and assaults on staff in the city centre.

As part of the SABAC scheme, members will be given access to information about prolific offenders, including persistent shoplifters, individuals subject to ASBOs and known pickpockets, together with up to date photographs to enable quick identification. Hand held radios will provide members with a direct link to the CCTV control room giving security for staff and customers and enabling shops and businesses to call for immediate attention if a problem arises.

An exclusion notice scheme will operate throughout the city centre and particular offenders will be banned from ALL member premises regardless of the "scene" of their crime or incident of disorder. These notices will be served by Police officers.

Action Against Business Crime is a nationally recognised organisation supporting all business crime partnerships in the UK and is supported by the Home Office. The Safer Business Award recognises that SABAC has met the stringent criteria around operating protocols and data protection.

Linda Treasure, SABAC's Business Crime Reduction Manager, said "Initially I will be working with businesses in the city centre but I hope that over the next year to eighteen months we will be able to roll the scheme out to Harpenden, London Colney, the retail and industrial parks and even the small parades of shops across the District".

For more information about SABAC contact Linda Treasure on 07900 135075.

Editor's notes:
The St Albans Community Safety Partnership's members are: St Albans City & District Council, Herts Constabulary, Herts Police Authority, Herts County Council, Herts Fire & Rescue Service; St Albans & Harpenden Primary Care Trust, the Youth Offending Team, Herts Probation Service.

SABAC's Partners are: Herts Constabulary, St Albans City & District Council (Community Safety Team), St Albans Chamber of Commerce, St Albans Retail Group, St Albans Enterprise Agency, St Albans Magistrates Court and the Crown Prosecution Service and drug and alcohol services,

Linda Treasure
Business Crime Reduction Manager
St Albans Business Against Crime
C/o St Albans Police Station
Victoria Street
St Albans
Herts AL1 3JL.

Tel: 01727 796030. Mob 07900 135075
Email: linda.treasure@herts.pnn.police.uk

For more information on Action Against Business Crime go to http://www.brc.org.uk/aabc/index.htm