An upgraded website providing free and impartial business crime and cybercrime advice has been launched to help protect Warwickshire businesses from becoming victims of crime.
The Warwickshire Business Watch website, www.warwickshirebusinesswatch.co.uk, has been improved and updated by Warwickshire County Council’s Community Safety Team in partnership with Warwickshire Police and Warwickshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner, Philip Seccombe.
Warwickshire Business Watch works in collaboration with businesses and partners to prevent crime from occurring and to tackle offenders.
The upgraded website is just one of the ways that it is offering crime prevention advice and support to businesses as part of a commitment to keeping businesses in the county safe.
It has been launched to help ensure that businesses in Warwickshire are protected and safe from all types of criminality, from traditional crimes to cybercrime, terrorism, seasonal crime, child exploitation and modern slavery.
Councillor Andy Crump, Warwickshire County’s Council’s Portfolio Holder for Community Safety and Chair of the Safer Warwickshire Partnership Board said:
“Businesses are the backbone of Warwickshire’s communities and provide a vital service, so the impact of crime can be significant on staff working within businesses and their customers, as well as the business itself.
“With that in mind, the website contains many useful downloadable crime prevention documents, links, tools, and materials, with information and advice to support businesses.”
The website also provides information on how to report a business or cybercrime, either directly to the Police or via other routes such as Action Fraud or Crimestoppers, and links to other agencies who provide support to businesses, including Warwickshire Trading Standards.
Warwickshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner, Philip Seccombe, said:
“I am glad to support Warwickshire Business Watch. The improved and updated website provides information, as well as advice on how to report crime for businesses of all sizes, as well as individuals.
“Business crime encompasses many things; retail crime, including assaults on shop workers; cybercrime, including fraud and coercion; and more; and so, it’s true impact should never be underestimated.
“That is why initiatives such as this, that help protect businesses and people from becoming victims of crime, are essential. We will continue to make sure we are doing everything we can in Warwickshire to reduce crime as well as support those who have been affected by it.”
Warwickshire Business Watch is a business crime prevention program that gives local businesses access to a wealth of resources and support to safeguard their operations.
Benefits of membership include enhanced security awareness through targeted email alerts about recent local criminal activity; expert crime prevention advice; and deterrence measures, with resources like building signs that can deter to potential criminals.
A collaborative network of security-conscious businesses in Warwickshire, it provides regular updates to keep businesses informed about the latest crime trends and changes in legislation, and a quarterly newsletter with the latest developments in crime prevention.
To find out more about Warwickshire Business Watch, visit www.warwickshirebusinesswatch.co.uk.
