Facewatch joins CSARN (City Security and Resilience Network)
Facewatch, has become a full member of CSARN the UKs leading business security and resilience membership network.
CSARN’s goals are to bring together public and private sector leaders to provide a staff safety advisory service providing business intelligence, educational networking events, training and the management of specialist projects.
Simon Gordon the Chairman of Facewatch has been invited to speak at the Northern Ireland Resilience Briefing to be held in Belfast on April 18th2012 where he will present the Facewatch on-line solution to detecting and identifying business crime.
Chief Executive Officer of City Security and Resilience Networks (CSARN), Richard Bingley, said: “Facewatch is proven to massively increase detection rates and speed up business crime investigations. For these reasons we are delighted to welcome Facewatch as a member of CSARN, the UK’s largest business security membership group. We strongly urge business communities to invest time to sign up to, and possibly sponsor, the Facewatch charity, so that all hard-working enterprises can begin to benefit from an environment free from the blight of crime, whilst also achieving these clear results by deploying technology in an ethical way.”
Simon Gordon, Chairman of Facewatch added: “ Our goal is to reduce low level crime and the causes of such crime, I am fortunate to be one of the family owners of Gordon’s Wine bar, on the Embankment in London, which has given me a ‘grass roots’ view of the problem of petty theft. The creation of Facewatch was a direct result of seeing the personal anguish, business losses, and the problems the Police encountered in catching and convicting people who end up, for a whole range of reasons, stealing to survive. Creating tools for the police and retail businesses seemed like the most important first step which would help quantify the problem and allow the Police to focus on solving crime rather than admin. We are pleased to be able to work with CSARN as our goals are very closely aligned and I am hoping a range of business partners will support the roll out of Facewatch across the UK.”
With a focus on low level crime reduction in the retail and licensed trade sector, Facewatch’s new free online crime reporting and CCTV image sharing portal is set to become the standard system used to directly report crime to the Police over the Internet. With the added benefit of providing free communications and image sharing for shopwatch, pubwatch and other business crime reduction partnerships run by BIDs and city centre organisations, Facewatch is progressively rolling out across the UK. The pilots in Westminster throughout 2011 showed increased detection rates of 73% and a 2 week reduction in the time taken to identify offenders.
Facewatch provides the system free of charge through a not for Profit Company called Facewatch & Partners which is being funded by sponsorship from businesses. The company is chaired by Dame Judith Mayhew Jonas.
Key to the success of Facewatch has been its development in close partnership with senior police officers who have been involved in the management and use of CCTV systems throughout the Capital.
Sir Hugh Orde, President of the Association of Chief Police Officers "I am pleased to support Facewatch for its practical use of technology in the fight to combat crime. The system is a catalyst for businesses and Police to join together; a great example of citizens and Communities getting involved alongside the Police."
As well as providing a very important range of free tools to businesses and the Police Facewatch is also a powerful data analysis and reporting tool which creates invaluable information which will enable a range of public and private organisations such as CSARN to advise on the best practise to reduce low level crime and improve the safety and security of our communities both urban, suburban and rural.
Facewatch background
Personal theft, shoplifting and other low level crimes such as vandalism are expensive problems for business owners and the public. Facewatch is a proven internet based system which by empowering business owners to work in partnership with the Police allows crimes to be reported quicker, with the correct evidential information and witness statements, enabling the Police to start investigations immediately and enabling the business owner to proactively help the victim.
Facewatch benefits:
- Strong emphasis on preventing and detecting prolific offenders
- Online crime reporting using any device with an internet browser
- No special equipment required – a computer with broadband access is all you need
- Works with any existing CCTV system or even without CCTV for reporting only
- Perfect for shops, licensed premises, hotels and all CCTV monitored premises
- Image sharing in groups such as Pubwatches, Shopwatches, BIDs, shopping centres, high streets, retail chains and larger retail groups
- Window stickers act as a powerful deterrent to would-be offenders
- Direct link to local Police forces and appropriate officers – Police update the crime status throughout the investigation and can use the system for secure messaging between the business and case officers which remains on the case file
- Creation of posters showing images of banned or suspect persons for use by staff
- Full statistical analysis with key performance indicators showing Police status and success rates in solving the crimes
- Fully supported by the Police and the only system to be accredited by ACPO ‘Secured by Design’.
- Creation of full evidential pack including automatic witness statements and crime reference online by the business user
- Free cancellation of victims credit and debit cards by CPP’s Card Protection
- Victim and business updated by Police on progress of crime investigation by email
- Training and communications pack for business users
- Improvement in customer care
Endorsements:
“I am pleased to support Facewatch for its practical use of technology in the fight to combat crime. The system is a catalyst for businesses and Police to join together; a great example of citizens and Communities getting involved alongside the Police.”
ACPO President, Sir Hugh Orde
"We have to pull together to beat criminals and FACEWATCH is a brilliant way to form business and the Police into a crime fighting team. I not only support FACEWATCH but urge businesses to get involved and install the system".
Kit Malthouse, Deputy Mayor, Policing and London Assembly Member
"Facewatch is a great tool that helps us streamline our process, focus on the people committing the crime, and get to work quickly. If it was rolled out across the country we would see thefts markedly reduced and more of those people who cause this type of misery end up in prison."
Chief Superintendent Simon Ovens, Met Police
"Anything that saves Police time and can also improve the victim’s experience has to be applauded. Victims want to know what’s happening once they report a crime – so to be able to report a theft quickly and easily, and then track it online, is a real step forward."
Louise Casey, in her role as Commissioner for Victims
“I was most impressed by the Facewatch initiative and its effectiveness in tackling crime. I would urge businesses to sign up to Facewatch and believe that the scheme can significantly lower levels of crime in residential areas”
Councillor Frixos Tombolis, Deputy Cabinet Member for Housing and Property
At Big Brother Watch, we are always cautious about the ways in which CCTV footage is used, yet it certainly seems that Facewatch is taking a step in the right direction when it comes to using technology to secure convictions while at the same time ensuring that the privacy of innocent members of the public is protected
Nick Pickes Director Big Brother Watch
“Victims of crime will.... benefit as they will be able to pass details of their crime to the Police without having to wait for an officer to attend, yet can be safe in the knowledge that all the information has been relayed to the Police securely and speedily.”
Graeme Gerrard, DCC Cheshire Constabulary
Extract from speech: “It is not all bad news though, because there is some support available to victims of crime provided by both the private and the public sectors. In the case of the former, there are instances of industry providing solutions in the spirit of the big society, such as Facewatch." Read full speech
Mike Weatherley MP, Chair of APPG on Business and Retail Crime
Facewatch systems accreditations:
ISO 9001
ACPO – Secured by design (Association of chief Police officers)
ICO – Working with Information Commissioners Office
Data Sharing Protocol: Approved by ACPO lead on CCTV
Strategic Partners:
CPPGroup Plc (CPP) - Card Protection, Free cancellation and reissue of payment cards
For more information please contact:
Stuart Greenfield – PR Consultant
Email: stuart@greenfield.co.uk
T: 07788 662697
Website: www.facewatch.co.uk
Businesses
By allowing instant crime reporting and image sharing, Facewatch streamlines processes thereby deterring crime and empowering partnerships.
Police
By instantly providing the full CCTV evidential package and approved witness statement online, it saves significant time and resources.
Victims
Improve customer care by providing an instant crime reference number and free cancellation and re-issue of all payment cards through CPP.
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