A crime reporting app designed to help tackle shoplifting has helped identify hundreds of offences and offenders in its first year of operation in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, with police now hailing it as a national model for tackling retail crime.
Launched last year by Hampshire and Isle of Wight police and crime commissioner (PCC) Donna Jones, the UK Partners Against Crime (UKPAC) platform has been credited with identifying 626 crimes, leading to 181 individuals being charged and resulting in a combined 62 years of custodial sentences.
The app has also directly contributed to 22 criminal behaviour orders being issued against prolific offenders. According to a statement from the PCC, UKPAC has achieved a formal action taken rate of 58 per cent, significantly higher than the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary average of 36 per cent.
The success of the initiative has prompted wider adoption, with 10 police forces across the UK now signed up to the platform.
Funded by the PCC, the scheme has provided 12 months' free UKPAC membership to retailers in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. More than 1,500 businesses have engaged with the platform, with almost 3,000 individual users registered.
Jones said the app had become an important tool in addressing retail crime.
“UKPAC has proven to be a vital tool in tackling the scourge of shoplifting in our towns and cities,” she said.
“It has helped us send a clear message that we will not tolerate this crime and we are doing something proactive to help reduce it.
“In the last year we have seen prolific offenders caught and sentenced to time in prison, while the issuing of 22 criminal behaviour orders helps police to manage the threat others may have posed.”
She encouraged retailers and business improvement districts to sign up to the platform to help combat retail crime.
Donna JonesPhoto: PCC for Hampshire
The mobile application enables shop staff to report incidents quickly, upload CCTV footage directly from their devices and submit evidence without waiting for officers to attend. According to the PCC, the digital reporting process has saved more than 2,534 hours of officer time that would otherwise have been spent on paperwork, allowing more resources to be deployed on frontline policing.
The platform also strengthens information sharing between retailers and police, helping identify repeat offenders, target crime hotspots and improve patrols.
Superintendent Marcus Cator, business crime lead for Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary, said the platform had transformed the force's approach to retail crime.
“UKPAC has transformed the way we tackle retail crime, and the results speak for themselves,” he said.
“Hundreds of offenders identified, significant custodial sentences secured, criminal behaviour orders obtained against prolific offenders and, most importantly, a much stronger partnership between policing and the business community.
“What began as an ambitious local initiative has quickly become recognised as a national model of good practice, with forces across the country now adopting the platform.”
He added that simplifying the reporting process and improving the quality of evidence submitted had increased opportunities to bring offenders to justice while freeing officers to spend more time protecting communities.
UKPAC remains free for charities, while the police and crime commissioner's offer of 12 months' free membership for retail businesses in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight will continue until the end of November.