Ladbrokes will be piloting a new initiative to reduce crime across its betting shops in London.
The initiative, named Facewatch, is an online crime reporting and image sharing system which will be used by the Police, Business Crime Reduction Partnerships, Business Improvement Districts, shopping centres and retailers across the capital.
In a statement today, Ladbrokes said the face-watching scheme has been proved to reduce crime and improves detection and conviction rates by acting as a strong deterrent to would-be thieves and shoplifters. It also saves the Police and shop staff time by offering a rapid and customer focused response to any incident.
Public Affairs Manager at Ladbrokes, Richard Royal, said: “The safety and security of our customers and staff is paramount and we’re delighted to add another crime-fighting tool to our excellent procedures, which already includes a 24/7 manned security room and the best CCTV in the business. Ladbrokes is glad to be at the forefront of cutting edge innovative technological solutions to problems which affect the whole community.”
Facewatch is a proven internet based system which by empowering business owners to work in partnership with the Police allows crimes to be reported quicker, with the correct evidential information and witness statements, enabling the Police to start investigations immediately and enabling the business owner to proactively help the victim.
Details of the crime are entered into the Facewatch system via any Internet connected device and a crime investigation number is immediately provided to the victim. The business owner is then able to upload moving and still images from his CCTV cameras which may be used in court as evidence. Further services such as payment card cancellation is provided free of charge to a victim who will also receive regular updates by email on the progress of the police investigation.
Chairman and founder of Facewatch Ltd, Simon Gordon, added: “Facewatch is the perfect solution in this environment as it provides immediate benefits for customers and staff whilst ensuring rapid and accurate uploading of all crime information and allows all shops to share information and images of persistent offenders”.
