BUSINESSES in Teignmouth are uniting to stand in solidarity against retail crime, anti-social behaviour and violence by signing up for free to an online crime reporting tool linked directly to the police.

UK Partners Against Crime (UKPAC) Business Crime Reduction Partnership is being funded for 12 months in the town by Police and Crime Commissioner Alison Hernandez. So far, 10 businesses, as well as Teignmouth Town Council, have signed up with more applications pending.

The online portal, also available as a smartphone app, enables traders to easily report crimes and share intelligence, empowering communities to work together against persistent and repeat offenders.

Police can instantly access the information to build stronger evidence files, increasing the chances of successful prosecutions and reducing crime on the high street.

Jo Gask, owner of The Healthy Pet Shop, has led the way in spreading the word about the scheme in the town to ensure that as many businesses as possible to sign up to make it more successful.

Jo said: ‘We are a close-knit community so we all help each other out. UKPAC has come at just the right time because shoplifting numbers are going up.

‘I started by spreading the word to food shops, including large chains as they tend to have a lot of problems.

‘I haven’t got a problem in my shop, but my background is in security hence when I am so keen to put a stop to it after being made aware it is increasing in the town.

‘The uptake won’t be slow here as we already all communicate together.

‘If something is going on in one shop word soon gets around to stop it happening elsewhere. I am now targeting the night time economy such as bars and fast food outlets’.

Revealing how easy UKPAC is to sign up to and report incidents, Jo added: ‘UKPAC were really helpful when I set it up.

‘The main thing for me is when you report something the police can see it immediately and it forms a bigger picture to get a better case against offenders which really helps’.

Among the first businesses to sign up to UKPAC in Teignmouth was Dawn Head, owner of Devon Sand Box.

Dawn said: ‘We opened last November and have suffered from some shoplifting so we quickly signed up to UKPAC when we were told about it’.

Also a keen supporter of the scheme is Craig Maggs, owner of FACE Electrical.

Craig said: ‘Teignmouth has really good community spirit and we all look out for each other.

‘There’s crime wherever you go in any town but the advantage of the UKPAC app is if there is trouble in one shop the information will be shared and be seen by the police’.

Night time traders are also keen to explore the benefits of UKPAC, including Charlie Whitney, manager of popular pub Molloy’s.

More businesses are being encouraged to become part of the scheme by Councillor Keith Underhill.

He said: ‘The ability for all the town’s businesses to join UKPAC is a welcome opportunity to be part of this unique reporting platform.

‘The excuse of “it’s a waste of time” when it comes to reporting crimes can no longer be used.

‘UKPAC will now give businesses a direct crime reporting platform with the knowledge that all submitted crime reports will be sent directly to the police.

‘I encourage all businesses, no matter the size and structure to take advantage of the 12-month free trial and join your colleagues as members of UKPAC’.

It was initially piloted in Torquay earlier this year and quickly resulted in arrests being made.

Thanks to the reporting tool, the police have successfully secured five convictions against repeat offenders in Devon.

The overall aim is to rollout UKPAC throughout the region to ensure all communities have access to the vital tool.

Police and Crime Commissioner Alison Hernandez said: ‘The important thing to remember about UKPAC is that it’s not only for reporting what has happened in your premises; you can also report incidents you witness such as in the high street.

‘It helps build up a really strong case against offenders and can result in action such as exclusion orders from town or antisocial behaviour orders.

‘I want Teignmouth to lead the way by having all businesses signed up to UKPAC’.

For more information about UKPAC and to sign up visit https://uk-pac.com/