Retail crime prevention scheme launched in Bridlington

Bridlington signs up to an initiative which will allow businesses and police forces to communicate quickly about crime and anti-social behaviour.

DISC is an information-sharing app used nationally by retailers and law enforcement agencies in more than 500 UK towns and cities. It will be used by businesses in Bridlington to share information about offenders and potential criminal activity. This follows similar schemes in Hull, Grimsby and Scunthorpe.

Working in partnership with Yorkshire Coast BID, the Bridlington Crime Prevention Group has secured funding for this scheme for three years.

Chair of the Bridlington Crime Prevention Group, PCSO Beverley Feirn, said: “This will be of great benefit to the retail community and I hope this is the first of many similar schemes.

“Collaboration is key to crime reduction, and retail crime is no different. Theft from retail premises can seriously affect businesses, particularly smaller ones. The scheme will allow business owners and police to communicate in an effective way about crimes and concerns in the area.”

“We have also recently received funding for a drugs dog which will assist local officers on warrants in the area.”

Drugs dogs are a high-visibility way of identifying people who may be carrying or supplying drugs in the area, and it is this sort of crime that can lead to others, such as theft, shoplifting and anti-social behaviour.

These incorporated methods of dealing with retail crime and associated issues increase the ways in which the group can tackle areas of concern within communities.