The partnership between the UK police and businesses involved in the National Business Crime Solution (NBCS) went “from strength to strength” in 2016, a senior police chief has commented.

Deputy Chief Constable Susannah Fish (OBE), lead for business crime reduction and information sharing on the National police Chiefs Council (NPCC), says in the NBCS’s latest report that partnership with the network has meant “organised criminals have been disrupted, arrested and imprisoned, and member businesses have been better protected”.

In April 2016, DCC Fish gave her support to the NBCS at the Retail Risk conference in London, praising the efforts of the team and asking those present, if not already involved, to sign up.

2016 was a good year for the network, according to its annual report. Besides winning Best Crime Partnership of the Year at the Retail Fraud Awards in October, the NBCS was successful in obtaining two years of funding via the police Transformation Fund in December.

It now has more than 45 members, and notched up a string of successes last year, leading to the arrest of over 100 offenders involved in crimes against member businesses with sentences of 110 years. During the year the NBCS engaged with every police force across the UK, whilst also developing stronger relationships with other key stakeholders.

Over 800 alerts have also been circulated amongst members to inform them of possible threats to their businesses, and of the 109 investigations raised, over 60 per cent led to a successful outcome such as arrests, property recovered or a positive identification being made.

Cigarettes, alcohol and cash were the main products targeted by these threats, but other hot products included high value electrical goods, with brands such as BOSE and Beats being targeted, and toys, such as Lego and Star Wars merchandise.

The NBCS is helping to make the UK a more hostile environment for transnational crime, the report states, by sharing information on crimes committed by foreign national offenders. Prior to the NBCS collating these crimes the offences would have gone unnoticed and therefore unpunished, it adds.

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