Welcome to BUSINESS WATCH NEW FOREST

 Making New Forest a hostile place for criminals to operate

Barton On Sea | Beaulieu | Boldre | Bramshaw | Brockenhurst | Burley | Eling | Emery Down | Exbury | Fordingbridge | Fritham | Hythe | Lymington | Lyndhurst | Milford on Sea | Minstead | New Milton | Ringwood | Sway |Totton

Business watch schemes like ours have helped to improve security for thousands of companies, preventing business crime and reducing the ongoing cost of rising insurance premiums and damage repairs.

One of the most effective ways of fighting crime and ultimately reducing the financial impact is by working together with other business owners and ultimately your local police team.

New Forest Business Watch offers the opportunity to participate and get involved, the ability to share information, and increase awareness of the issues going on every day that impact on your business.

It provides an easy safe way to report suspicious activities you see without the fear of anyone else knowing. Intelligence is a key factor, “fore warned if fore armed” Investing in new security measures is costly, but by working together with our local policing team we have a better opportunity to share valuable information, which ultimately will protect your valuable assets.

New Forest Business Watch is operated and run by police volunteers in conjunction with our local Safer Neighborhood Team which has huge resources to help you protect your business.

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Manifesto

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Welcome to Business Watch New Forest

I am delighted once again to be associated with the Business Watch New Forest initiative, I have the full support of my Police colleagues in various Constabularies. We all believe that much can be achieved in crime reduction through effective partnerships with local business owners and our community being a big part of this initiative. Having given hundreds of hours of my time with voluntary Police Service for Hampshire and Dorset Police I am keen to develop this great initiative even further.

Every year crime costs UK businesses millions of pounds not only in actual losses, but also in expenses incurred as a result of the actual incident. In many cases property is stolen, premises damaged and these losses whilst in most cases are insured result in heavier insurance premiums.

Crime is a risk to any business large or small this must be controlled as the implications can be far reaching. The security needs for any business will vary tremendously, and the principle responsibility for the protection of those industrial premises lies with the owner. What we are striving to create is a platform which will give very member opportunity to get involved in crime reduction for businesses within the New Forest.

There is no magic plan for successful security against business theft but constant vigilance is required to help combat crime. Business Watch New Forest is a scheme that will in time have a huge role to play in crime reduction. Our success relies heavily on local businesses taking an active role. We need you to play your part, become a member who is free and help us to help you. Good crime related intelligence is the key to detecting crime and arresting offenders. By giving each other this information we can create an effective deterrent. We have in place an information sharing protocol which allows registered members access to information not normally available to the public.

As we work hard to reduce crime in the New Forest, we feel sure initiatives such as business watch New Forest will help towards creating an area where people and their property are safe and where business can be grown without fear of crime.

John Greenfield

Police Liaison Business Watch New Forest

How Do I Benefit?

 
Investing in new security measures can be expensive, but by working together we have a better opportunity to share resources, find cost- effective solutions and to secure financial assistance.
 

Other New Forest Business Watch benefits include:

• Registration of security data and contact telephone numbers for your business
• E-mail sharing of local business and police intelligence
• Single point of contact for all security issues by telephone or email
• Opportunity to make decisions on banning criminals operating in your area
 
Incident response service New Forest Business Watch will assist where possible, but this is not a replacement for the Police, if you have an emergency situation or any imminent threat dial 999 or if a lesser incident dial 101
 

Our Mission

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To encourage communication between members, and make decisive decisions

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To increase crime prevention awareness, help each other

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To stimulate the exchange of information between members, and our local police, the local authorities and other agencies participating in the business watch scheme (BWNF)

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To promote crime prevention and increased standards for security

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To provide an environment that is unattractive to criminals, prevent the opportunist thief from taking advantage

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To share best business practice

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To establish closer links between businesses and all agencies, not only Police but Councils and other watch schemes’ such as neighborhood watch, Pub watch, etc.

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To realize the benefit of investment in security, before an event takes place

How Does New Forest Business Watch Work For You?

Following the receipt of your enquiry, a member of BWNF team will contact you and discuss your requirements. If you are in an area where a scheme already exists we will explain the current security arrangements in your locality, how you can participate in the scheme and how you can benefit.
 
Once a company has joined BWNF you will benefit from the the group email communication system, and develop and help to implement any action plans we agree upon. You will also be able to vote anonymously to ban udesirables from your business premises. This service is operated in total confidence and under Data Protection guidelines.
 
Where individual companies require additional support or crime prevention surveys or risk assessments these can be organized as required by either our local police team or a Business watch Totton advisor.

What Can I Do As a Business Watch New Forest Member?

   • Regularly review procedures within your business, make effort to ensure that your property  is adequately protected, train your staff, the more eyes and ears we have the bigger our intelligence data base becomes

 
• Ensure visitors are properly managed ( HSE advisory) and that employees challenge strangers on your premises- never be afraid to ask who a stranger is and why he is on your premises
 
• BOLO – Much used word what this means is “be on the lookout” for unusual or suspicious activity, report it to the police or your local Business Watch Totton Administrator
 
• Invite your neighborhood police team or beat officer to visit your premises regularly
 
• Encourage regular contact with your neighbour business, share knowledge
 
• Encourage staff to be vigilant and to report the unusual, make them feel involved
 
• Report damage to streetlights, cars, property or anything suspicious however trivial, check vehicles are taxed, tyres are good anything that may highlight something is not right.

   DO I NEED TO BE CONCERENED LIVING IN NEW FOREST?

 
• Crime against business is on the increase nationally, and sadly locally
 
• Businesses are twice as likely to be a victims of crime as individual persons
 
• The average annual cost of business crime per business across the UK that is a staggering number running in to millions of lost pounds
 
• Small businesses account for 66% of UK employment and 62% of UK turnover
 
• 72 of small businesses suffered at least one crime in the year to December 2020
 
• Business related crime in the New Forest area exists
 
 
As a first step in being prepared, ask yourself about the physical environment of your business:
 
• Has there been crime in the vicinity of your business recently?
 
• Are there any prevailing crime trends in your area?
 
• Are there any paths, railway lines or other access routes, which could be used by criminals to gain access to your premises?
 
• Do you know who runs the local business crime partnership, shop watch, business watch scheme or similar in your area? If not contact us here controlroom@businesswatchnewforest.com

     Then ask yourself about your business specifically:

 
• What could thieves target in my business – stock, petty cash, computers, equipment, and vehicles?
 
• How vulnerable are my business premises to crime?
 
• What would be the effect of a crime against my business?
 
• What crime prevention initiatives are available to me?
 
 
Whatever the field of business you are in, good housekeeping is the rule:
 
• Untidy property results in petty vandalism and can escalate into something serious.
 
• Property marking acts as a deterrent and can help detection seek our advice on this.
 
• Can you benefit from the Smart water or other marking products?
 
• Vehicle tracking devices, plant tracking devices
 
• Access control is important if you are not open to the general public.
 
• Effective external lighting can deter criminals and is essential for other crime prevention measures to succeed.
 
• Good CCTV systems that record on a continuous loop over 30 days

Other sources of advice and guidance:

• Local business organisations such as the Federation of Small Businesses, your local Chamber of Commerce and the CBI may offer crime prevention advice to members.

• All local authorities have a Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership and a Community Safety Officer who can offer advice and direct you to a source of help. To contact them, telephone your local Council offices.

If you are unfortunate enough to become a victim of business crime, please do report it to your local police. Business crime is not victimless. Services, employment, investment and the quality of life are all threatened by increased levels of crime.

Crime figures are consistently under reported and this leads to the less effective deployment of police resources.

We are resolute in beating business crime between us all and working in harmony with our local police team we can go a long way towards stamping out business crime.

Securing your business against crime need not be an expensive and time consuming exercise. You can get advice and guidance from a number of sources. As a first step your local police team or Business Watch New Forest coordinator can visit to advise you on how to make your systems and premises more secure. To contact them, simply call us on the member’s number or email us controlroom@businesswatchnewforest.com

Useful websites, which give practical guidance on business crime prevention, are: