Recently, Mark Edwards, the editor of the Chronicle & Echo Newspaper, acknowledged the success of the initiative saying, “the NRCI is doing fantastic work and is a real flag ship operation”.
In brief, the NRCI operates as an information sharing scheme which enables all members whether they be police, Borough Council CCTV or retailers to provide and gather information at a central venue. This information is collated and analysed to identify crime trends and persistent retail crime offenders.
The NRCI then takes measures to counter any emerging crime patterns and also target those offenders identified as ‘lifestyle criminals'.
It is recognised that a small percentage of offenders will be responsible for a large proportion of retail crime. Just 7% of repeat offenders are responsible for 67% of all crime committed in retail areas. It is these individuals the NRCI focuses on who invariably steal to fund their drug habit. Approximately 90% of retail offenders test positive for heroin, crack cocaine or other substances. By targeting this small group of persistent offenders the NRCI can reduce the amount of crime committed by them.
- The NRCI coordinator serves those offenders identified with an Exclusion Order, banning them from entering any member store. Members will then refuse them entry on sight.
- Liaison will take place with the Police to obtain images of the offenders which are then in turn distributed to members in a manual for identification purposes.
- The details of excluded offenders are circulated to member stores, security officers, the police and Northampton Borough Councils CCTV system enabling the community to show a united front and thereby deter and disrupt any further criminal activity.
- A regular newsletter is produced and distributed to all members. Monthly security briefings are also held to share intelligence.
In addition to these measures the NRCI undertakes the following; personal visits to each member store at least once a month, various training courses, a dedicated Police Liaison Officer who provides a link to other services from Northamptonshire police and assistance to retailers with the civil recovery process. The team can also attend ‘in-house’ staff meetings at member’s own premises to give presentations or crime updates.
The NRCI is very dependent on the participation of its members as we rely on the information supplied by them. The NRCI has, however, access to the National Business Intelligence System. This computer system provides links and information to all retail crime schemes throughout the country. Via the Police Liaison Officer the NRCI has access to the police's intelligence system. Both these computer systems are utilised in the fight against retail crime.
Northamptonshire Police fully supports the NRCI. The NRCI works very closely with Safer Community Teams and the Community Safety Department which includes Crime Prevention Staff and Licensing Officers. The Prisoner Investigation Unit, Local Intelligence Office and Drugs Intervention Project are just some of the other units that the NRCI works with to tackle offenders
We currently have over 150 members ranging from small independent newsagents to large national supermarkets. The NRCI firmly believes that the initiative should be open to all retailers – whether small or large. As such the fees for membership are on a scale according to the number of employees. They currently range from £80 to £460 per annum.
When the NRCI was first set up the town centre was the focus for its crime reduction activities. The NRCI has expanded over the years to cover all the retail areas in the Borough and now has members in Kingsthorpe, Sixfields, Riverside, St James and Weston Favell shopping areas. It also has strong links with other retail initiatives in the rest of Northamptonshire and surrounding areas such as the Partners Against Crime in Milton Keynes.
To see the benefits of joining the NRCI, please click here to view a .PDF document, listing the many ways your business could benefit and profit from this local initiative.
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The NRCI provides free training to members on a variety of subjects.
At present the team can deliver inputs on how to write an effective witness statement, credit card fraud prevention and spotting counterfeit money. These inputs can be delivered at times/dates convenient to our members i.e. before opening or after closing times.
In March 2007 the NRCI formed a new partnership with ACTUATE Learning & Development Ltd, a nationally recognised training consultancy company which is locally based here in Northampton .
ACTUATE is run by Laurence Harvey – and some of his current clients include Bluewater Shopping Centre, Showcase Cinemas and Northamptonshire Police. His work has been featured in the Sunday Times. For more information on ACTUATE check out our Useful Links Section."
For more information on our training sessions, click here.
The NRCI can assist member stores in the civil recovery process. This is when member stores or retail loss prevention companies working on their behalf, recover costs from an individual who has committed a shoplifting or fraud offence. Upon request, personal details of the offenders can be passed to the member store by the NRCI so that the civil recovery process can commence.
The NRCI recommends members use the long established company Retail Loss Prevention Ltd. (Telephone 0115 9248910).
The NRCI is non-profit making and currently consists of a full time coordinator Joe Joyce, part time administrator Denise Ellis and police liaison officer PC Nick Stephens. The NRCI's office is situated in the town centre of Northampton.