Sir Craig Mackey's Blog

As we continue to face some challenging months for policing, so the continued focus of the National Business Crime Centre remains on reducing violence. 

This quarter, we held out first ever event, ‘Tackling Violence Against Businesses’ in support of our community. With over 200 businesses, large and small, from many diverse sectors attending, we highlighted a range of considerations to protect staff and customers, tackling violence from every angle! Presentations have been posted to this site, and included Conflict Management Training, consideration of technical & physical solutions, the value of working with local partnerships, a supportive input from Health & Safety and a helpful walk through GDPR, which will ensure we continue to share intelligence and combat crime together. Feedback from the day has been tremendously positive and we intend to keep up the momentum so watch out for future events!

The NBCC continues to support policing efforts to end knife crime by working closely with retailers to stop knives falling into the wrong hands. Some positive progress – I am grateful to both Poundland and Morrisons who will be removing knives from shop floors and I sincerely hope and encourage other retailers to follow their lead.

Looking forward, the team will be concentrating the next quarter of this year on focusing making businesses safer on line. Working alongside the experts, the NBCC aims to draw on the best knowledge to provide a range of free and affordable products to keep businesses of all sizes secure.

We are also running the UK’s first ever Policing ‘Citizens Academy’ with the support of the US Homeland Security. This is an exciting and unique opportunity for leaders from multiple business sectors to receive an inside look at policing and the workings of Homeland Security, whilst enhancing business community relations. I am hoping this will be the first of many such opportunities for business and policing to exchange thinking.

Just to remind you that the NBCC supports businesses across all our communities, in towns and in rural areas, from both the day and night time economy, in addition to supporting policing colleagues around the country. I am always keen to hear how we can improve our guidance and share good practice, and strive to become a ‘Centre of Excellence’ freely available to all.