I’m Daniel Hardy, managing director at The National Business Crime Solution (NBCS). Having just held our second Members’ Day, I’d like to use this blog to celebrate its success and explain how you could benefit from attending the next event on 13th June. As always, I want to hear your views about what we do at NBCS, so feel free to post your comments below.
So far 2018 has been extremely busy at the NBCS and I’m delighted that our messages are resonating with those of you who share our dedication and commitment to helping the business community and law enforcement agencies share information to reduce crime.
When I joined the organisation six months ago, one of the first things that I wanted to do was to bring the NBCS member base closer together. Therefore, I decided to introduce a series of regular Members’ Days, where retailers, security providers, technology solutions providers, police business crime leads, and police and crime commissioners could gather to hear about the latest trends and technology associated with reducing business crime.
We held the first event back in January with the theme of Creating a Safer Connected Workspace and held the second at the end of March, once again at the Trent Vineyard Conferencing Suite in Nottingham. This time the focus was on Managing Current Business Crime Risks and in a relaxed, informative and enjoyable atmosphere, over 150 delegates gathered to hear leading industry experts from NBCS, Asda, Athelney Group, Mitie, Maybo, Pyronix and Sainsburys talk about a wide range of subjects. These included intrusion technology, emerging and potential future threats, combatting violence in the workplace and building business confidence in times of escalating risk. They also heard some thought-provoking updates on techniques and projects that have proved invaluable in the fight against crime.
The presentations were complemented by a roundtable discussion on the subject of burglary, which addressed the scale of this problem, what is happening in terms of a legal response, whether there are any particular hotspots and/or commodities that are being specifically targeted and what mitigation strategies have been tried. Delegates were encouraged to share best practice tips and identify gaps in the market.
The event also featured an update from the NBCS and what’s happening within the organisation including its new operating system, its work to prevent child sexual exploitation and its violence reduction strategy. As well as a question and answer session, there were also regular breaks during the day that enabled individuals to network, ask questions and get ‘hands-on’ with in-depth product demonstrations.
It was clear from conversations on the day itself that the NBCS’s efforts to offer real value, promote thought leadership and support preventative change opportunities are greatly appreciated. Feedback questionnaires from delegates were very positive and also allowed them to suggest topics for future events, which we will take on board and act upon.
I appreciate that everyone’s time is precious and asking individuals with enormous responsibilities to leave their desks and attend external events is a gargantuan task. However, I also realise that there is a genuine need for high-quality information and a recognition that anything that can help enterprises take preventative action, tackle the full nature and extent of the threats they face and engage with the police service is welcomed.
So, if you are reading this and wondering whether this type of event is for you, my advice would be to come along and see for yourself – I’m confident that you will not be disappointed. The next NBCS Members’ Day will take place on 13th June, once again at the Trent Vineyard Conferencing Suite, where the subject will be A Journey of Fraud. Delegates will find out about the NBCS Fraud Strategy, hear an academic presentation on fraud techniques, get a retailer’s perspective on the issue, hear from Policing investigative fraud experts and take part in an interactive panel discussion.
If you’d like to find out more or to register your attendance at our next Members’ Day then send an email to enquiries@nationalbusinesscrimesolution.com or visit nationalbusinesscrimesolution.com. I look forward to seeing you there!
