Thanet crime initiative receives national accreditation

Designed to make city centres safer for businesses and employees, there are over 250 Business Crime Reduction Partnerships in the UK. Thanet Safe was first established in Ramsgate Kent in 1999 and soon spread to encompass all the major towns, Margate and Broadstairs including Westwood Cross shopping centre, by 2003 when it also became a limited company.

Thanet Safe Ltd also administers Thanet Pubwatch, which was first launched in 2004, and has monthly meetings throughout Thanet.

Thanet Safe Ltd comprises of a Board of Management, Steering Group, Scheme Manager and Intelligence Coordinator all of which provide a positive and efficient response to the members. The members benefit from a two-way radio system with a direct connection to local Police and CCTV operators, plus, use of Littoralis crime information sharing software with connections across the county of Kent and beyond.

The national standards accreditation provides a benchmark of achievement and success, helping to give reassurance to businesses, police and other stakeholders that the partnership is working and provides good value for money.

Mac MacLennan, Thanet Safe, said: “We are delighted to receive this accreditation which reflects the effort and hard work of the staff and members. It is evident that Thanet Safe’s communication and software systems are proving very successful”.

Sophie Jordan, National Association of Business Crime Partnerships, said: “Thanet Safe BCRP has successfully achieved the BCRP National Standards Accreditation, demonstrating full compliance across all inspected areas—a testament to the strength and integrity of their partnership-led approach.

“The collaborative working between businesses and Police is particularly commendable, providing robust support to member businesses throughout the Thanet region. Spanning multiple towns and catering to both day and night time economies, Thanet Safe exemplifies inclusive, community-focused crime reduction at scale.

“A well-deserved congratulations to the team for setting a high standard in business safety and partnership excellence.”

Amanda Mulholland from Police CPI said: “Gaining accreditation is a significant challenge for crime reduction partnerships and I congratulate the achievements of Thanet Safe for their work in creating safer areas for customers and staff, whilst also improving the commercial prospects for companies operating there. I look forward to seeing how they continue to develop this over the coming years”.

Business Crime Reduction Partnership (BCRP) accreditation

The accreditation process is based on a set of standards owned by the National Business Crime Centre (NBCC).

The standards include good management practices and procedures such as membership agreements, data security and compliance with current legislation. It includes having robust information for members and partner organisations that is up to date as well as making it easily accessible 24/7. For some BCRPs, the standards will include the use of CCTV and radio links with members.

The aim is to recognise good practice and professionalism to ensure BCRPs are functioning in an ethical manner and within the law, specifically checks to ensure compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation.

It is expected that accreditation will enhance the level of partnership working nationally and encourage continued, significant, national business investment in BCRPs. In addition, the intention is that it will provide reassurance to Police Forces that data shared with BCRP partner organisations will be utilised in a responsible manner to reduce criminal activity.

Police Crime Prevention Initiatives (Police CPI), who run the Secured by Design initiative, is the accreditation body for BCRPs. The accreditation process is based on a set of standards owned by the National Business Crime Centre (NBCC).

Find out more about the BCRP National Standards here.