Report and recommendations to enhance BCRPs released by NBCC

The National Business Crime Centre (NBCC) has released a report and recommendations regarding further enhancing the work of Business Crime Reduction Partnerships (BCRPs) in response to the results of a national survey conducted in August.

The survey was commissioned by the NBCC working with Professor Emmeline Taylor City, University of London, to better understand the role of BCRPs and other crime reduction initiatives, how to promote their value-add to business, the police and community, and how to increase levels of BCRP accreditation.

The survey received 132 responses from a mix of businesses, BCRP representatives, BID representatives, police, Pubwatch and Shopwatch representatives and other industry and stakeholder groups.

As a result of the survey the report has produced ten recommendations relating to, the national governance structure of BCRPs, the relationship between Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) and BCRPs, and how the accreditation process might be developed so that it is more appealing and valued.

NBCC Lead Supt Patrick Holdaway said: “We are grateful to everyone that took time to complete the survey and provide invaluable feedback which will help enhance BCRPs and other crime prevention initiatives moving forwards. The NBCC fully supports the BCRP model and wants to ensure that the important role they play in national crime prevention is understood and valued by members and potential members. We hope that the recommendations in the the report will boost awareness of BCRPs and enhance their value, effectiveness and sustainability.”

One of the main focusses of the survey was to understand why some BCRPs choose not to go for national accreditation awarded by the Police Crime Prevention Initiatives (PCPI). The survey revealed that some of the reasons included the amount of time and resource it would take, feeling intimidated by the process and worried about not meeting the criteria, and that there wasn’t enough guidance readily available to research the process before applying.

Professor Emmeline Taylor, Associate Dean: Research & Enterprise, at City, University of London added: “Bringing businesses together in partnership with the police to tackle crime and antisocial behaviour issues can be very effective. The research findings presented in this report show a strong appetite for business crime reduction partnerships to continue their excellent work, but as the recommendations reflect, with an updated set of standards and refreshed branding to raise their profile.”

The NBCC will work with key stakeholders to review the recommendations and consider the next steps to enhance the work of BCRPs moving forwards.

The full report and recommendations can be found on the website - Read the full report here