The crime-reporting platform delivered through UK Partners Against Crime (UKPAC) is helping businesses and police turn frontline reports into stronger evidence against repeat offenders, with a South West trial achieving a solve rate of almost 60%.
Figures released by Co-op and Devon & Cornwall Police show that crimes reported through cloud-based crime management and digital evidence platform SentrySIS achieved a solve rate approaching twice the force’s average for shop theft reported through traditional channels. The average time taken to complete investigations and assign an outcome also fell by more than a third, from 54 days to 35 days.
The results demonstrate the value of UKPAC’s approach: giving businesses practical reporting tools and bringing information together so police can identify patterns, link offences and act on better evidence.
Through the SentrySIS platform, store colleagues submit incident details, CCTV footage, photographs and impact statements directly to police. Providing this information at the outset reduces the need for officers to approach retailers for further evidence, helping investigations progress more quickly and saving time for both businesses and police.
Crucially, the approach helps build a picture beyond individual incidents. Reports from different shops can be connected to identify repeat offenders and build stronger cases against people targeting multiple businesses.
The importance of that shared intelligence is clear in Devon and Cornwall. Police figures show that 90% of identified shop theft offenders were repeat offenders, with just 50 individuals responsible for around a quarter of all shop theft offences across the force area, often with more than 100 known offences each.
By helping businesses share evidence and contribute to a wider intelligence picture, UKPAC supports a coordinated response to the offenders causing disproportionate harm to shops, staff and communities.
Retail is not the only sector supported by UKPAC’s flagship crime reduction model. The organisation works with retailers, businesses, hospitality front-of house teams and more - a range of businesses that face growing threats of anti-social behaviour, violence and abuse within daily operations.
Most recently, UKPAC has launched ‘EyesOn’ – a bespoke adaptation of existing UKPAC technology tailored to cater to the needs of farmers and rural users to report rural crime effectively and keep the rural community connected.
Activity within the retail crime-busting community continues to grow. Following the successful trial, Co-op has activated the crime-reporting platform across all its stores in Devon and Cornwall, with discussions underway with additional police forces.
UKPAC Chairman Gareth Lewis said:
“These results demonstrate the difference that effective reporting and shared intelligence can make. When businesses have a straightforward way to submit incidents and supporting evidence, police have more of the information they need to progress investigations.
“The strength of UKPAC’s approach lies in bringing that information together. What appears to be an isolated incident in one shop can be part of a much wider pattern affecting businesses across several locations.
“Helping partners see those connections supports stronger cases against repeat offenders and a more coordinated response to business crime.
“Behind these figures are people whose working lives are affected by theft, abuse and intimidation. Our focus is on giving businesses and partners the tools to tackle that harm and create safer places to work, shop and socialise.”